Preparation and Characterization of Alpha Gel Formed by Fatty Alcohol and Amino Acid Surfactants

α-Gel, as a specific lamellar liquid crystal structure, presents unique parameters and attracts broad interest. However, conventional formation of α-gel involves surfactants that have a long alkyl chain (more than 14 carbons), resulted in limited application into personal care products due to their low Krafft temperature. In this study, a simple way to generate α-gel was developed using sodium lauroyl sarcosinate, an amino-acid-based surfactant containing an alkyl chain with less than 12 carbons. The desired structure was analyzed and discussed. The method, when extended to other amino acid-based surfactants, gave positive results.