NATURALS


Biobased elastomer gel: a new generation


Andrea Tomlinson, Xu Qin - Momentive Performance Materials ABSTRACT


Momentive Performance Materials introduces a patent-pending elastomer gel technology enabling the next generation of high-performance colour cosmetics and skin care products. Harmonie™ NatuVel gel, a new 100% naturally derived elastomer gel has been engineered to exceed the performance of silicone elastomer gels whilst being compatible with natural and naturally derived lipids, UV filters and other polar materials. Designed with natural formulations and the needs of the clean beauty market in mind, the translucent gel is derived from 100% renewable, plant- based raw materials and developed with the guidance of the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry. Its unique 3D polyester network provides soft focus and blurring effects, offers luxurious sensory aesthetics, reduces the oily sensation of many cosmetic ingredients and mattifies the skin. In addition, it delivers many practical benefits to the formulator, this article will discuss its performance and formulation aspects too


The beauty and personal care market is changing rapidly driven by new legislation, consumer behaviour and environmental concerns. Regulatory changes in Europe are challenging cosmetic companies to reformulate their products in order to remove or reduce volatile silicones and potential microplastics. Many companies have made public commitments such as L’Oreal for the Future and Procter & Gamble’s Responsible Beauty Platform.1,2 A number of large beauty companies


are also working together as part of the EcoBeautyScore Consortium. In March 2025 they launched a new tool to assess the environmental impact of cosmetic products, with the aim of bringing industry transparency and enabling the consumer to make informed decisions.3 Today’s informed consumer expects the


companies that they buy from to act on these critical issues. Sustainability-related concerns such as pollution, depletion of natural resources and climate-related emergencies are at the forefront of consumers' concerns according to a recent Mintel report on Latin America.4


www.personalcaremagazine.com Climate change is behind the upcoming


European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), that will require larger companies to report their carbon emissions as early as 2025.5


companies to target a transition to ingredients with a lower carbon footprint. A substantial portion of Scope 3 emissions


for personal care companies come from the ingredients they purchase.6


This brings


ingredient carbon footprint under scrutiny. Yet, of course, cosmetic products still need to perform, if the consumer is not convinced by the product performance or does not enjoy the sensory on the skin there will be no repeat purchase. A recent report by Mintel found that


sustainability is not a primary purchase driver in the BPC sector. Consumers are mainly drawn to products that offer tangible benefits, in one survey 51% of US skin care consumers cite “the product is proven to be effective” as the most important factor when shopping for skin care.7


Silicone elastomer gels Silicone elastomer gel technology was a milestone in the history of personal care


This could drive many cosmetic


ingredients enabling the production of some of the most iconic products on the cosmetics market. It created opportunities for new application formats and textures unveiling a previously unseen level of sensory and performance. The first market launches with silicone


elastomers were seen at the very end of the 1990s and their adoption quickly grew in the 2000s primarily through use in skin care and colour cosmetics. The first reference to a “primer” based upon a silicone elastomer that can be found on Mintel’s GNPD database was 2003 and the popularity of this format quickly grew.8 In the late 1990s and early 2000s silicone


elastomers and synthetic acrylate-based polymers changed the skin care market enabling a move away from heavy formulations based upon fatty alcohols to lighter, bouncier textures.9


Silicone elastomer chemistry Silicone elastomers were first developed in Japan, with early materials being elastomer powders produced by cryogenic grinding of cured silicone. Over the following years, the


June 2025 PERSONAL CARE


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