NATURALS 97
A natural silicone alternative in skin care products
n Tiffany Quinn MS, Robert A Harper PhD – Floratech, US Floramac®
10 [INCI: Ethyl Macadamiate] is
derived from Macadamia Oil (Macadamia integrifolia), and is widely used in a variety of cosmetic and personal care products for both skin and hair care applications. Floramac 10 is not only functional, but also provides favourable product aesthetics. Its many attributes include assisting in the dispersion and solubilisation of sunscreens;1
providing a dry emolliency,
giving formulas a silky skin feel similar to that of cyclopentasiloxane (without the volatility); and imparting a degree of skin hydration greater than silicones. Additionally, Floramac 10 can be used in oil-free products, while still imparting some of the benefits of natural botanical oils. It can be gelled to mimic the properties of medium viscosity silicones, and can be used in combination with silicones.
Silicones, particularly volatile silicones like D4 and D5, have recently come under scrutiny.2
Silicones are used in a variety of
skin care formulations for sensory attributes and hydration, as well as in hair care formulations for conditioning properties. This article will discuss the functional and sensory aspects of Floramac 10 and how it can be used as an alternative for silicones.
Mimicking the sensory profile of silicones3
Neat Floramac 10, or gelled Floramac 10 (indicated with a + sign), was compared to a variety of neat silicones of varying viscosities (Table 1). Each silicone / silicone alternative pair (as listed in Table 1), was compared by female consumers (n=27) on a 1-5 scale for initial product evaluations (initial) and skin-feel post-application (30 minutes) observations. The higher the score, the more the listed attribute was perceived by consumers (e.g. a score of 5 for moisturisation indicates moisturised skin, whereas a score of 1 indicates dry skin). For the texture attribute, a higher score indicates a thicker silicone or silicone alternative. The results for each pair appear in Figures 1-5.
September 2018 Absorbency Spreadability Statistical (**) significance was apparent where indicated (p<0.05) Figure 2: Floramac 10+4 versus dimethicone (5 cs). The data in Figure 1 show initially there
were few perceivable differences between Floramac 10 (now referred to as ‘ethyl macadamiate’) and cyclopentasiloxane; however, 30 minutes post-application, ethyl macadamiate left the skin perceivably more glossy, silky / smooth, and moisturised.
The data in Figure 2 show few perceivable differences between the gelled
ethyl macadamiate and dimethicone (5cs) for initial product observations and skin feel attributes 30 minutes post-application. The data in Figure 3 show initially dimethicone (10 cs) was visually more glossy, more transparent, wetter, and thinner (texture); however, there were few perceivable differences in skin feel attributes between the gelled ethyl macadamiate and dimethicone (10 cs) 30
PERSONAL CARE EUROPE Spreadability Statistical (**) significance was apparent where indicated (p<0.05) Figure 1: Floramac 10 versus cyclopentasiloxane. Visual Gloss Texture
5 4 3 2 1 0
Visual Transparency Moisturization** Gloss**
5 4 3 2 1 0
Wetness Silky/Smooth** Slipperiness
Floramac 10+4 Dimethicone (5cs)
Silky/Smooth** Slipperiness
Cyclopentasiloxane Floramac 10+4
Dimethicone (5cs) Floramac 10+5
Dimethicone (10cs) Floramac 10+6
Dimethicone (20cs) Floramac 10+7
Dimethicone (100cs) Visual Gloss Texture
5 4 3 2 1 0
Visual Transparency Moisturization**
Table 1: Physical properties of silicones and silicone alternatives. Test Emollient Floramac 10
4 – 5 7 – 8 5 – 6
303 – 304 10 – 11
548 – 549 19 – 20 77 – 78 96 – 97
Gloss**
5 4 3 2 1 0
Absorbency** Wetness
Viscosity (cP) 7 – 8
Refractive Index 1.44
1.40 1.45 1.40
not transparent 1.40
not transparent 1.40
not transparent 1.40
Floramac 10 Cyclopentasiloxane
Stickiness
Stickiness
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