For cosmetic formulas, how to reduce stickiness while retaining moisture, how to make the product easier to push away, and not to make the surface after application appear too oily is a problem that often needs to be faced in texture design.
Silicon elastomers provide another way of thinking for these needs.It is different from the practice of simply adding liquid emollient oil, but uses the gel structure formed by the crosslinked polymer to participate in the adjustment of the rheological characteristics and application feeling of the formula.Depending on the product type and formula combination, silicon elastomers can be used to explore a smoother skin feeling, a more delicate surface effect, and varying degrees of freshness..
The MY621 and MY622 in the Mingya SMOICON® silicon elastomer series all correspond to dimethicone and dimethicone crosspolymer.Focusing on different application directions such as creams, lotions, and pre-makeup products, such raw materials provide options for formula texture adjustment worthy of further evaluation.
I.The texture differences felt by consumers may start from the formula structure
For example, a moisturizing cream may require a richer oil phase to meet product positioning.If the combination of oils and fats is not appropriate, or the overall texture does not match expectations, the product may not be pushed easily enough, and the oily feeling is more obvious after application.Conversely, if the oily ingredients are excessively reduced in order to pursue freshness, it may also make the product lose the softness and comfort it originally needed.
The characteristic of silicon elastomer is that it forms a system with a certain structure based on a crosslinked polymer.Compared with the simple use of liquid silicone oil, such raw materials can bring different texture performance.In a suitable formula, it can help adjust the smoothness of the application process and provide support for the product to form a more delicate touch.
II. If you want to be more silky, you don't have to make the formula more oily
Silky feeling is a direction worth paying attention to in the application of silicon elastomers.
When consumers use creams or lotions, they usually care about whether the product can be easily pushed away, whether it is smooth when applied, and whether the surface of the skin leaves a significant heavy feeling.If the product is not malleable enough, even if it has good moisturizing properties, it may not make the use process comfortable enough.
Traditional adjustment methods include changing the oil combination, adjusting the proportion of Emollients, or reconsidering the consistency of the product.These methods have their own effects, but they may also bring new changes.Silicon elastomers provide different ideas.It can participate in adjusting the touch of the product through the gel structure, so that the formula presents a smooth performance different from the ordinary oil system during the application process.
Taking face cream as an example, if the product has the problem of being slightly heavy when pushed away, silicon elastomer can be used as a candidate raw material to compare the ductility, application resistance and residue before and after addition.For emulsions, you can focus on whether the product can be spread evenly, and whether it still maintains a comfortable softness while reducing the heavy feeling.
If emollient ingredients such as Isopropyl myristate are also used in the formula, the effects of different combinations on spreadability, oiliness and overall texture can also be further evaluated.
III.The matte effect is not simply to reduce grease
Some formulas pursue a natural sense of moisturizing, while others want a soft matte effect.There is no absolute difference between the two directions. The key lies in whether the product positioning is clear and whether the actual use effect meets expectations.
If the product wants to reduce the shine of the oil, directly reducing the oil contrast is not necessarily the most suitable solution.Oily ingredients may also play a role in lubricating, softening, and improving the user experience. Simply reducing these ingredients may make the formula insufficient in other aspects.Silicon elastomers can be used as part of the overall texture design to help the formula explore a smoother, relatively refreshing surface touch.Some systems may also have a softer matte appearance under suitable conditions.
For pre-makeup products that emphasize soft mist, you can pay attention to the following aspects：
- Whether there is a significant oily feeling after application
- Whether the product is easy to spread evenly on the surface of the skin
- Is there a significant sticky or heavy feeling after use
- When paired with subsequent foundations, is it prone to mud rubbing, agglomeration or unevenness
IV.The changes brought about by the gel structure are not only reflected in the appearance
Silicon elastomers are usually supplied in the form of gels, which is one of the differences between them and many ordinary liquid oily raw materials.
The gel state means that the raw material has specific structural and rheological characteristics. However, the gel appearance of the raw material itself does not directly represent the final state of the finished product.For example, in an oil-in-water system, the oil phase exists in a continuous aqueous phase in a dispersed form.At this time, the addition of silicon elastomer not only needs to consider the changes in skin texture, but also needs to pay attention to whether it is suitable for the existing emulsifying system.Even if the raw material has a good touch in a separate state, it does not mean that it can be directly applied to all emulsions.
For products constructed with Oil in water emulsifier, a comprehensive judgment should be made based on the oil comparison, the type of Emulsifier, the processing technology and the viscosity of the finished product.If the goal is to develop gel-based skin care products, the focus can be further extended to the flow state of the product when it is taken, the ductility when applied, and the appearance changes after storage.Through these observations, the role of silicon elastomers in specific formulas can be more comprehensively understood, rather than just judging based on the state of the raw materials when they are first opened.
V.SMOICON® MY621 and SMOICON® MY622: The same INCI does not mean that the performance is exactly the same
The INCI names corresponding to the SMOICON® MY621 and MY622 launched by Mingya are dimethicone and dimethicone crosspolymer, and the appearance of the product is transparent to translucent gel.，
Different product applications are also different in the performance of the formula. For creams and lotions, the ductility, smoothness and oily feeling after application can be used as key observation items; for pre-makeup products, the surface gloss, subsequent base makeup compatibility and mud rubbing can be increased. Evaluation content; for gel-type products, it is also necessary to pay attention to the fluidity, structural performance and storage stability of the finished product.
VI. Compare with the real formula to make it easier to judge the changes in skin feeling
For raw materials such as silicon elastomers that are closely related to texture performance, real formula comparison can make the application value more intuitive.
If you are ready to carry out relevant tests, you can first choose a cream, lotion or pre-makeup product with an existing basic formula, set up a control sample without silicon elastomer added, and then set up a test group based on the technical data of the raw materials.
During testing, try to keep other raw materials, processing technology, sample dosage and environmental conditions consistent.In this way, when changes in skin sensation are observed, it is possible to more rationally determine whether the changes are related to the addition of silicon elastomers.
VII. From a single skin feeling index to a complete product experience
Creams need to consider moisturizing and comfort, lotions need to pay attention to lightness and extension, and pre-makeup products pay more attention to surface touch and subsequent makeup effects.Although these products may all use silicon elastomers, their formulation goals are not the same.
Therefore, skin feeling optimization should not only pursue the improvement of one indicator.For example, the product becomes smoother, which does not mean that it must be more refreshing; the surface gloss is reduced, nor does it mean that the stability of the formula is improved; the gel structure is more obvious, and it does not directly indicate that the final product has a better experience.
SMOICON®MY621 and SMOICON® MY622 provide options for further evaluation of the skin texture design of different cosmetics.Combined with detailed technical information, formula compatibility and actual test results, the application value of different models in specific products can be judged in a more targeted manner.
For cosmetics that pursue silky, soft mist and refreshing touch, what is really worth paying attention to is not how many promotional selling points a certain raw material can bring, but whether it can solve clear problems in the actual formula and achieve a suitable balance between the product's use process, appearance and storage performance.
Hubei Mingya New Material Technology Co., Ltd.
