RHEOLOGY MODIFIERS 55


Versatile oil-soluble rheology modifier


Cary Sims, Cristina Amezcua Fontrodona, Greta Milbrandt, Kevin Luo – Lubrizol ABSTRACT


Waterless or anhydrous cosmetics markets are growing at a rapid pace as consumers continue to search for more sustainable, eco-friendly, and innovative personal care solutions.1


Water-less consumer


products come in many different forms: solid, powder, balms, serums and other oil-based systems, which deliver multiple benefits such as sensorial, functional (more concentrated ingredients/actives), less need for preservation, and reduced packaging size. Another key aspect of these types of products that consumers desire is performance. Performance comes in many different forms, whether it be stability, texture, appearance, and sensory. The challenge comes in delivering a technology that provides performance in critical areas such as stabilizing diverse types of oils, broad viscosity range, clarity, suspension, and many other key attributes


As trends towards sustainability continue to gain popularity, one category of personal care products that continues to attract customers attention is waterless cosmetics. This market segment is projected to grow to $16.99 billion by 2030.2 This growth can be attributed to numerous


factors, most notably consumers becoming more aware of how their choices may impact environmental conditions. Regional markets are all contributing to this waterless trend. North America markets are a leader due to concerns around water usage and sustainability. The European market with its environmentally


friendly regulations and a focused eye towards sustainability is also a big contributor to this movement and additionally, the Asia market which continues to be a driver for beauty trends globally has a strong influence on waterless products, minimalist trends and clean beauty.1 As noted earlier, waterless formulations


can take on a wide range of formats, largely determined by the polymer system employed. Oil-soluble polymers deliver numerous attributes such as defining the structure and texture, as well as being critical in providing the long-term stability that consumers expect. Furthermore, these polymers, which can be sourced from different technologies, including


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polyesters, acrylates, cellulosic polyolefins and polyamides; can provide multiple benefits in personal care applications such as water- resistance, improved gloss and shine, lipid deposition in cleansing, emulsion stability (water- in-oil and oil-and water), sticks stability, and SPF boosting to name a few.3 As the market for waterless products


grows, technology suppliers must be aware of unmet needs. One specific expectation is a polymer that can deliver multiple benefits for waterless applications, while maintaining robust compatibility with polar natural oils. These emollients have many benefits that can contribute to skin care products and are therefore commonly used in formats, such as facial and body serums. Current technologies, including Ethylcellulose,


while natural, have high processing temperatures, are stringy, tacky and lack full clarity in various oil systems. Other polymers consist of fatty alcohols, esters, and glyceryl ester blends. These materials do provide structuring, sensory and a wide viscosity range, unfortunately, they do not offer good clarity, which is critical in developing various product forms, for example clear gels and sticks. To address performance gaps in existing


technologies, Lubrizol has developed an advanced solution that delivers all critical performance


attributes required for waterless systems, while also being compatible with traditional water-in-oil and oil-and-water emulsions. The solution is Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride


(and) Hydrogenated Poly (C6-20 Olefin) (and) HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer (Lubrizol, USA), a non-ionic, high molecular weight hydrophobically modified polyurethane (Figure 1). This material is supplied as a semi-solid granule (Figure 2). The polymer consists of hydrophilic hard segments and hydrophobic soft segments which drive polymer-to-polymer and polymer-to-oil interactions, resulting in gelation. The key performance areas for this polymer


are clarity, versatility, suspension, wide viscosity range, sensory, and stabilization. Lubrizol also acknowledges the importance of responsible sourcing and has used sustainable ingredients in the development of this polymer. The key features are: superior viscosity, superb


clarity in a wide range of oils and emollients, suspension maximizing visuals in oil systems, sensory enhancement with a pleasant soft after feel, leaving no residue. It also offers a wide range of usage levels,


stability in emulsion without co-stabilizer - enabling the formulation of mild emulsifier- free systems; and versatility in diverse types of


May 2026 PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE


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