Improving Your Matte Liquid Lipstick Formula

You've encountered a common challenge with matte liquid lipsticks: achieving a comfortable, non-sticky matte finish that isn't overly dry. Your original formula, while aiming for matte, likely resulted in dryness and stickiness due to the high percentages of certain ingredients.

Here's a breakdown of why this might have happened and how to adjust your formula based on your experience and the staff's recommendation:

• High Powder Content (Silk Mica Powder): While essential for the matte look, a high percentage like 24% of Mica Powder can absorb oils and contribute significantly to a dry feeling on the lips.
• High Film-Former Content (Oil Film - Hydrogenated Polycyclopentadiene): At 24%, this ingredient creates a strong film on the lips. While this helps with longevity and transfer-resistance, too much can make the film feel tight, inflexible, and sticky when you press your lips together. The description for Hydrogenated Polycyclopentadiene notes that using high amounts can cause stickiness.

The staff's suggestion to reduce the Oil Film and replace it with Isododecane or an emollient like LipidSoft is key to improving comfort.

• Reducing Oil Film: This directly addresses the stickiness and tight feeling by creating a less intense film.
• Increasing Isododecane: Isododecane is a volatile solvent. It helps dissolve ingredients and provides a lightweight feel during application before evaporating. Increasing its percentage can help the formula spread more smoothly and feel less heavy, while the reduced film-former helps prevent stickiness after drying.
• Adding LipidSoft (e.g., Isodecyl Neopentanoate): Emollients like Isodecyl Neopentanoate add softness and conditioning to the formula. This helps to counteract the drying effect of the powders and film-former, resulting in a matte finish that feels more comfortable and less dry, retaining some moisture.

Suggested Starting Point for a Revised Formula:

Based on the typical usage rates and the goal of reducing dryness and stickiness, consider adjusting the percentages. This is a starting point, and you may need to experiment further:

• Isododecane: Increase this from 20% to around 25-30%. This helps with application feel and solvency. (Product: Isododecane (Germany))
• Microcrystalline Wax: Keep this around 7% as it provides structure. (Product: Microcrystalline Wax (Melting Point 77C, Medium))
• Oil Film (Hydrogenated Polycyclopentadiene): Significantly reduce this from 24% to around 5-10%. This is crucial for reducing stickiness. (Product: Hydrogenated Polycyclopentadiene (Isododecane Base))
• Silk Mica Powder: Keep this around 24% initially, or slightly reduce it if the formula is still too dry after adjusting the liquids. (Product: Mica Powder (20 Micron, Methicone Coated))
• easymix color: Keep this around 25% initially. (Example Product: White Oxides EasyMix™)

• LipidSoft (e.g., Isodecyl Neopentanoate): Add 5-10% of a suitable emollient. This will provide needed moisture and comfort. (Product: Isodecyl Neopentanoate)

• (Note: Ensure your total percentages add up to 100%. You will need to adjust one or more components slightly to reach 100% after setting the key ingredients.)*

By reducing the film-former and adding a conditioning emollient while increasing the volatile solvent, you should achieve a matte liquid lipstick that is more comfortable to wear, less sticky when pressing lips together, and less prone to feeling dry. Experiment with the exact percentages to find your perfect texture.