Formula Adjustment for Texture and Color

Based on your current sunscreen formula, the dryness and difficulty in spreading are likely due to the combination of physical sunscreens (Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide) and the Silicone Gel, which can sometimes create a more powdery or draggy feel. To improve the texture, making it more moisturizing and easier to spread, consider adjusting the oil phase and potentially adding humectants.

Suggestions for Improving Texture

• Increase Emollients: Increase the percentage of emollient oils like Isopropyl Palmitate and Dimethicone. These ingredients provide slip and reduce friction, helping the cream spread more easily and feel less dry. You could try increasing Isopropyl Palmitate from 2.5% to 4-5% and Dimethicone from 5% to 7-8% or even higher, depending on the desired feel.
• Add Humectants: While your formula includes Propylene Glycol, adding another humectant such as Glycerin (at 2-3%) can help attract and retain moisture, improving the overall feel and reducing dryness.
• Adjust Silicone Gel: The Silicone Gel at 10% contributes to the texture. If increasing emollients and humectants isn't sufficient, you could slightly reduce the Silicone Gel percentage and replace it with additional liquid emollients to reduce any potential powdery feel.

Adding Color Pigments

• Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™: Yes, you can add Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™ to this formula. Since it is a pre-dispersed liquid pigment, it is much easier to incorporate smoothly into an emulsion compared to raw powder pigments. It should typically be added to the oil phase and mixed thoroughly before emulsification, or carefully incorporated into the finished emulsion depending on the specific product instructions.
• Foundation Powder: Adding standard foundation powder (which contains raw pigments and fillers) is more challenging in an emulsion and will likely make the texture feel drier and harder to spread due to the high powder content. It would require significant formula adjustments to incorporate properly.
• Compensate with Emollients: When adding Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™, you will likely need to increase the amount of emollients (like Isopropyl Palmitate or Dimethicone) further to counteract the added powder load and maintain good spreadability and a non-dry feel.

By increasing the emollient content and potentially adding more humectants, you should be able to achieve a more moisturizing and easier-to-spread texture for your sunscreen formula. Adding Beige Iron Oxides EasyMix™ is feasible, but remember to adjust the emollient levels accordingly.