LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ N350 (natural dimethicone alternative)

by | Dec 2, 2020

What is it? LexFeel™ N350 is a natural dimethicone alternative manufactured by INOLEX Inc. LuxGlide N350 is a product with identical INCI sold by Crafter’s Choice. It appears that LuxGlide N350 is the Crafter’s Choice brand name for LexFeel™ N350 as the INCIs are identical it is not listed independently in UL Prospector (the Crafter’s Choice URL for this product ends in “LuxFeel-N350“). I have yet to find a product named “LexFeel™ N350” sold to home crafters—they all seem to be called LuxGlide N350.

INOLEX has an entire line of LexFeel™ products, with different products designed to function as alternatives for different silicones. The LexFeel™ N series (N5, N20, N50, N100, N200, and N350) all have the same INCI but are intended to be alternatives for different silicones, so make sure you aren’t just matching the INCI with this ingredient.
INCI Diheptyl Succinate (and) Capryloyl Glycerin/Sebacic Acid Copolymer
Appearance Semi-viscous clear liquid.
Usage rate I’ve seen widely varied ranges. Crafter’s Choice states 0.5–3% on their product detail page, while Wholesale Supplies Plus mentions 5–30% in this article. I have not found any information about maximum safe usage rates; some INOLEX sample formulations for their LexFeel™ N series use LexFeel™ N ingredients at 80%+ of the formulation.
Texture Smooth, slippy, rich.
Scent Faint, vaguely chemically
Approximate Melting Point LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ N350 is liquid at room temperature.
Solubility LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ N350 is oil soluble.
Why do we use it in formulations? LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ serves a similar role as dimethicone 350 in formulations. It improves skin feel, enhances shine, reduces tackiness, can reduce greasiness, and can be used to wet/disperse pigments in colour cosmetics.
Do you need it? No, but it is a useful silicone alternative if you wish to keep your formulations silicone-free.
Refined or unrefined? LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ N350 only exists as a refined product.
Strengths LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ is an easy, natural alternative to dimethicone 350.
Weaknesses I don’t find LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ to be quite as slippy and rich as dimethicone 350.
Alternatives & Substitutions Dimethicone 350 would be the easiest alternative.

You could also try rich, slippy oils as an alternative (something like oat oil), though these will not offer the same level of de-tack-ifying and skin smoothing. The importance of this is very formula dependent, and I also find perceptions of stickiness/tackiness are very personal. If you’re not very sensitive to stickiness (or just plain ol’ don’t mind it) you are less likely to notice the loss of silicone in a formulation.
How to Work with It LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ can be included in the heated phase of your products, but it does not need to be heated.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, LuxGlide N350 should last approximately one year.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks Check out this article from Wholesale Supplies Plus to learn more about this ingredient.
Recommended starter amount 30mL (1fl oz)
Where to Buy it Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier. In the USA, LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ N350 can be purchased from Wholesale Supplies Plus. In Canada, LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ N350 can be purchased from Windy Point Soap

Some Formulations that Use LuxGlide N350 / LexFeel™ N350

Cyclomethicone + other cyclo-siloxanes

by | Aug 15, 2020

What is it? Cyclomethicone is an ultra-light volatile silicone ingredient. “Cyclomethicone” is a generic/broad term for one or more cyclic siloxanes, primarily cyclotetrasiloxane (D4), cyclopentasiloxane (D5), and cyclohexasiloxane (D6). Learn more here.

There are other cyclic siloxanes (D3–D7) but D4, D5, and D6 are the primary ones for cosmetic use. Cyclotetrasiloxane (D4), cyclopentasiloxane (D5), and cyclohexasiloxane (D6) are sold as isolated ingredients, but I’ve only ever found cyclopentasiloxane (D5) available to homecrafters.

If you check product datasheets you might find out that the “cyclomethicone” you’re looking at is almost entirely cyclopentasiloxane (D5). Check the datasheets from your supplier to learn more about the specific products you’re looking at. For example, this datasheet for the cyclomethicone sold by Windy Point shows it is 99–100% cyclopentasiloxane (D5), with a small amount of cyclotetrasiloxane (D4).

From my research, I’d avoid cyclotetrasiloxane (D4) where possible as Health Canada has concerns about it accumulating in the environment.
INCI Varies; check with your supplier. It’s usually “Cyclomethicone” or a list of the component cyclic silicones comprising that particular product, like “Cyclotetrasiloxane (and) Cyclopentasiloxane”. If you are purchasing an isolated cyclic siloxanes the INCI should reflect that (eg. Cyclopentasiloxane).
Appearance Thin clear liquid
Usage rate I’ve seen widely varying maximum usage levels; everything from 10% to 95%. Check with your supplier for the specific product you have.
Texture Ultra-light, slippy, luxurious.
Scent Nothing noticeable
Absorbency Speed Very fast
Approximate Melting Point Liquid at room temperature
Solubility Oil, silicones
Why do we use it in formulations? Cyclomethicone adds wonderful slip to our products and helps reduce tackiness. Small concentrations add a really gorgeous, expensive-feeling skin feel. Higher concentrations of cyclomethicone help “lighten” products, speeding up dry down/absorption speeds.

It is commonly used as a diluent in hair oils to create products that don’t leave the hair looking greasy. A small amount of oil will be diluted in a larger amount of cyclomethicone; when that is applied to the hair the cyclomethicone will readily evaporate, leaving a tiny amount of well-distributed oil behind on the hair.

In cosmetics, you’ll find it in all kinds of cream cosmetics, where it provides body to the cosmetic and then evaporates readily after application, leaving behind the pigment without any added oil that would compromise wear time.
Do you need it? No, but if you love making cosmetics and/or have hair that is not very tolerant of oils, cyclomethicone is a wonderful ingredient to have on hand.
Refined or unrefined? Cyclomethicone only exists as a refined product.
Strengths Cyclomethicone is a very versatile ingredient that improves the skin feel of anything I’ve ever tried it in.
Weaknesses The biggest weakness of cyclomethicone (and other silicones) is all the negative myths about it. These myths include the idea that silicones suffocate the skin, cause acne, and are bad for sensitive skin. If you have concerns about silicones, please review these resources:

You certainly don’t have to use silicones in your products if you don’t want to, but don’t avoid it based on misinformation 🙂
Alternatives & Substitutions You can generally use cyclomethicone and cyclopentasiloxane interchangeably. I have both and can’t really tell a difference between the two. You can also try Dimethicone 1.5, which is lightweight and volatile (not to be confused with Dimethicone 350 or other non-volatile silicones).

There are several natural silicone alternatives on the market now, like “LuxGlide” and “LexFeel”. The ones most suitable for replacing cyclomethicone are “LuxGlide N5” and “LexFeel N5”.

You could also try ultralight emollients/esters like Isoamyl laurate, Coco-Caprylate, isoamyl cocoate, C12-15 alkyl benzoate, or Neossance® Hemisqualane, but even these lightweight emollients are significantly heavier than cyclomethicone and will create a heavier end product, especially if the cyclomethicone is used at high concentrations to create an ultra-light end product.

Isododecane is similar to cyclomethicone in terms of viscosity and volatility, but I find it is even more volatile. You could try blending it with an ultralight emollient as a cyclomethicone alternative (I’d probably start with about 90% isododecane/10% ultralight emollient).
How to Work with It Include it in the oil phase of your products; it should be cold-processed as it will readily evaporate (and possibly burst into flame) when heated (the flashpoint is 77°C [169°F]).
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, cyclomethicone has an indefinite shelf life. Keep it away from sparks and heat sources as the flashpoint is 77°C (169°F)
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks “Silicones… aren’t biodegradable, but they are degradable – they degrade in the environment, and turn back into silica (sand), carbon dioxide and water.” –Lab Muffin
Recommended starter amount 100mL (3.3fl oz)
Where to Buy it  Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier or Amazon.

Some Formulations that Use Cyclomethicone

Dimethicone 350

by | Jan 24, 2020

What is it? Dimethicone 350 (also known as Dimethylpolysiloxane) is a mid-weight, non-volatile silicone.
INCI Dimethicone
Appearance Semi-viscous clear liquid
Usage rate Up to 80%, though I typically use it in the 1–5% range
Texture Rich, slippy, smooth. Typical of silicones.
Scent Nothing noticeable
Absorbency Speed Slow
Approximate Melting Point Liquid at room temperature
Solubility Oil, silicones
Why do we use it in formulations? Dimethicone 350 adds wonderful slip to our products and helps reduce tackiness. Small concentrations add a really gorgeous, expensive-feeling skin feel. It helps improve spreading, offers skin protection, and conditions the skin and hair. It can also reduce soaping in lotion formulations. It is also an FDA approved skin protectant.
Do you need it? No, but I do love how small concentrations of Dimethicone 350 allow me to work with higher concentrations of good-for-skin ingredients that can make products feel tacky. It’s also a wonderful, super-easy way to improve slip & skin feel.
Refined or unrefined? Dimethicone 350 only exists as a refined product.
Strengths Dimethicone 350 is a very versatile ingredient that improves the skin feel of anything I’ve ever tried it in. It is non-irritating (suitable for those with sensitive skin) and will not aggravate conditions like Pityrosporum Folliculitis (a.k.a. fungal acne).
Weaknesses The biggest weakness of Dimethicone 350 is all the negative myths about it. These myths include the idea that silicones suffocate the skin, cause acne, are toxic, and are bad for sensitive skin. Dimethicone and other silicones have been studied and reviewed extensively by experts around the world and have been continuously found to be not only very safe, but beneficial to the skin. If you have concerns about silicones, please review these resources:

You certainly don’t have to use silicones in your products if you don’t want to, but don’t avoid it based on misinformation 🙂
Alternatives & Substitutions In products where you are using Dimethicone 350 at 5% or less, you could try a higher viscosity version, like Dimethicone 500 or Dimethicone 1000. With that low of a usage rate, the dimethicone will be diluted so much that the thicker version is unlikely to impact the end product much (if a very low viscosity is important to the final product [i.e. if it’s supposed to mist] then swapping in a higher viscosity of dimethicone probably isn’t the best idea).

There are several natural silicone alternatives on the market now, like “LuxGlide” and “LexFeel”. The ones most suitable for replacing Dimethicone 350 are “LuxGlide 350” and “LexFeel 350”. I find the natural alternatives do not offer the same level of slip and richness as Dimethicone 350, so you may want to increase the concentration to compensate.

You could also try rich, slippy oils as an alternative (something like oat oil), though these will not offer the same level of de-tack-ifying and skin smoothing. The importance of this is very formula dependent, and I also find perceptions of stickiness/tackiness are very personal. If you’re not very sensitive to stickiness (or just plain ol’ don’t mind it) you are less likely to notice the loss of silicone in a formulation.

Dimethicone 1.5 is not a good alternative for Dimethicone 350; the 1.5 version is ultra-thin and lightweight, and evaporates quickly. It is much closer to Cyclomethicone and Cyclopentasiloxane than Dimethicone 350.
How to Work with It Include it in the oil phase of your products; it can be hot or cold processed. Check with your supplier for the specific product you have as recommendations can vary.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, Dimethicone 350 has an indefinite shelf life.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks The “350” in Dimethicone 350 indicates viscosity. The higher the number, the more viscous the dimethicone. Dimethicone 500 and 1000 are also fairly readily available to home crafters.
Recommended starter amount 100mL (3.3fl oz)
Where to Buy it  Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier or Amazon.

Some Formulations that Use Dimethicone 350

Neossance® Hemisqualane

by | Mar 14, 2019

What is it? Neossance® Hemisqualane is a beautiful non-volatile, lightweight emollient made from plant sugar.
INCI C13-15 Alkane
Appearance Clear liquid
Usage rate Up to 55%
Texture Lightweight, smooth, oil-like
Scent None
Absorbency Speed Fast
Solubility Oil
Why do we use it in formulations? Neossance® Hemisqualane is oil-like, but ultra light. I love it in many things, but I find it especially shines in cosmetics and haircare, where we want oil-like emollience, but without the weight and greasiness that oil can bring to formulations.

Neossance® Hemisqualane can be a good cyclomethicone alternative in situations where the success of the formulation does not depend on cyclomethicone’s volatility (ability to evaporate quickly). This means Neossance® Hemisqualane typically will not work as a cyclomethicone alternative in waterproof cosmetics or in ultra-light hair oils.
Do you need it? No, but it is great. I would highly recommend it if you have type 1 or 2 hair and/or if you enjoy making cosmetics.
Refined or unrefined? Neossance® Hemisqualane only exists as a refined product.
Strengths Excellent lightweight naturally derived emollient.
Weaknesses Can be harder to source.
Alternatives & Substitutions Other lightweight emollients like Coco-Caprylate and C12-15 alkyl benzoate are good options. . After that, I’d try squalane or fractionated coconut oil. You could also try blending fractionated coconut oil with some cyclomethicone to get the lighter feel of Neossance® Hemisqualane, though keep in mind that cyclomethicone is volatile, so you don’t want to heat it. I recommend checking out the table on page two of this document for ideas!
How to Work with It Include in the oil phase of your formulations; Neossance® Hemisqualane can be hot or cold processed.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, Neossance® Hemisqualane should last at least two to three years.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks Neossance® Hemisqualane is sometimes sold as a stand-alone facial serum at a substantial markup—if you like it, purchase it from a DIY supplier and enjoy some substantial savings!
Recommended starter amount 100mL (3.3fl oz)
Where to Buy it  Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier.

Some Formulations that Use Neossance® Hemisqualane

C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

by | Feb 26, 2019

What is it? C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is a lightweight oil soluble ester with a beautiful dry skin feel. It is made from benzoic acid and C12–15 alcohols.
INCI C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate
Appearance Clear liquid
Usage rate Manufacturers suggest 1–30% (The CIR does not mention a maximum usage level; tests a 100% concentration showed no reaction or irritation)
Texture Smooth, thin liquid
Scent Nothing noticeable
Absorbency Speed Fast
Solubility Oil
Polarity High
Why do we use it in formulations? C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate adds dry-touch emolliency and improves pigment dispersion in our products, making it a great choice for colour cosmetics. Its light, dry touch also makes it a great base for body oils and other anhydrous products we’d like to have a light, dry finish (it is similar to isopropyl myristate in this way).
Do you need it? No
Refined or unrefined? C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate only exists as a refined product.
Strengths Excellent light-weight emollient that improves slip and reduces greasy feel.
Weaknesses Not considered natural, can be harder to source.
Alternatives & Substitutions Isopropyl myristate would probably be my first choice, or a different lightweight ester like Coco-Caprylate, Neossance® Hemisqualane, Isoamyl cocoate, or Isoamyl laurate.

A lightweight silicone like cyclomethicone could work in cold processed formulations.

A very lightweight carrier oil will also work, though that will still be heavier than  C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate.
How to Work with It Include C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate in the oil phase of your formulations. It can be hot or cold processed.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate should last two years.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate is sold under many different trade/brand names; be sure to check the INCI so you know what you’re buying.
Recommended starter amount 50–100mL (2–3fl oz)
Where to Buy it  Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier or Amazon. In the US you can get it from Essential Wholesale, Making Cosmetics, and Formulator Sample Shop. In Canada, Windy Point has it. The Formulary sells it in the UK, and Aroma Shoppe sells it in the EU. New Directions & Trulux sell it in Australia.

Some Formulations that Use C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate

Isopropyl Myristate

by | Jan 30, 2019

What is it? Isopropyl Myristate is an ester of isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol) and myristic acid (a fatty acid that naturally occurs in coconut and palm oils). It is a very lightweight emollient and can be used like a carrier oil in many applications.
INCI Isopropyl Myristate
Appearance Thin clear liquid
Usage rate 1–20%
Texture Smooth, thin, liquid
Scent Low to none
Absorbency Speed Fast
Approximate Melting Point Below 25°C
pH 6.5–7.5 (5% solution in water)
Solubility Oil
Polarity Medium
Why do we use it in formulations? Isopropyl Myristate is included in formulas to dramatically reduce the greasy/oily feel; it’s brilliant in recipes with large amounts of butters that are famous for a heavier skin feel (like shea).

Isopropyl Myristate is also a great lightweight emollient; you can include it in recipes as an alternative to a liquid carrier oil to make for a lighter, faster-absorbing product.

At higher concentrations it can also be used in products like makeup removers.
Do you need it? No, but if you don’t like heavy/greasy products Isopropyl Myristate is an excellent thing to have around.
Refined or unrefined? Isopropyl Myristate only exists as a refined product.
Strengths Isopropyl Myristate is so good at reducing the greasy feel of other ingredients that it is possible to make products that are primarily shea butter that don’t feel greasy.
Weaknesses Isopropyl Myristate is not typically considered “natural”.
Alternatives & Substitutions One could use a very absorbing carrier oil instead (something like camellia seed oil), but even the lightest carrier oils won’t dramatically reduce the greasy feeling of a heavier formula, meaning the end product will be much heavier/slower absorbing than originally intended.

You can experiment with other lightweight esters, like C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate or Coco-Caprylate. They have different skin feels than isopropyl myristate (IPM), but they are nice and light!

You could try something like isododecane or cyclomethicone, but ingredients like that are very volatile, meaning they cannot be heated much and will evaporate out of the finished product over time if given the opportunity.
How to Work with It Include it in the oil phase of your products; it can be hot or cold processed.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, Isopropyl Myristate should last at least two years.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks Isopropyl myristate can be used to remove prosthetic make-up.
Recommended starter amount 100–200mL (3.3–6.6fl oz)
Where to Buy it  Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier or Amazon.

Some Formulations that Use Isopropyl Myristate