Adjusting Water-in-Silicone Sunscreen for Smoother, Velvety Texture
Question
I have a water-in-silicone sunscreen formula and want to make the texture smoother and more velvety. How should I adjust it?
My current formula is:
PART A
- Silicone Gel (Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer): 10%
- สี Beige (Beige Iron Oxides Easymix): 0.5%
- TiO2 easy disperse (Titanium Dioxide Nano): 5%
- Zinc easy disperse (Zinc Oxide Nano): 5%
- Cyclomethicone (Cyclopentasiloxane): 12%
- SiliSolve Plus: 2%
- LipidSoft CC (Cetearyl Ethylhexanoate/Octanoate): 2%
PART B
- Preserve: 1%
- NaCl: 0.8%
- Aqua: qs 100%
The procedure is to mix PART A together, then slowly pour PART B into PART A. Everything else is okay, including water resistance and consistency. However, when applied, I want it to be smoother and feel like velvet. How should I adjust it?
Answer
To make your water-in-silicone sunscreen feel smoother and more velvety, the stickiness might be due to the amount of the gelling silicone (Silicone Gel - Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer) relative to the volatile silicone (Cyclomethicone - Cyclopentasiloxane).
To achieve a smoother, more powdery, and velvety finish, you can try adjusting the ratio of these two ingredients. I recommend reducing the Silicone Gel and increasing the Cyclomethicone.
Suggested adjustment:
- Reduce Silicone Gel (Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer) from 10% to 5%.
- Increase Cyclomethicone (Cyclopentasiloxane) from 12% to 17%.
Keep all other ingredients and percentages the same.
This adjustment replaces some of the thickening, potentially sticky silicone gel with a volatile silicone that provides a dry, smooth, and velvety feel, improving spreadability and reducing tackiness.
Please test this modified formula to see if it achieves the desired texture.