Silicone Elastomer (Dimethyl Siloxane Elastomer, Fumed Silica)

by | Jul 15, 2021

What is it? Silicone elastomer is a super fine, slippy, gorgeous powder ingredient that improves all kinds of colour cosmetics. It helps with oil control, improves skin feel, and helps disguise imperfections.

If you’ve used Silica Dimethyl Silylate and Silica Microspheres, I’d say silicone elastomer exists somewhere between them. It’s slippy like silica microspheres, but thickens a bit more like Silica Dimethyl Silylate (SDS).
INCI Dimethyl Siloxane Elastomer, Fumed Silica (generic)
Appearance Ultrafine white powder
Usage rate Up to 20%
Texture Ultra-smooth and rich
Scent None
Solubility Insoluble, but so fine that it is indistinguishable.
Why do we use it in formulations? Basically, it makes everything better! It blurs fine lines, improves slip, and can improve wear time by helping control sebum. It improves colour/pigment payoff and makes our cosmetics feel more expensive/luxurious. TKB lists the usage rate as up to 20%, but I’ve noticed big differences including it at less than 1%!
Do you need it? No, but if you love making high-end colour cosmetics I definitely recommend it.
Refined or unrefined? Silicone Elastomer only exists as a refined product.
Strengths It’s a potent and highly effective way to level up your cosmetic formulations.
Weaknesses  I have only found silicone elastomer for sale from TKB Trading in the USA.  They ship internationally, but I know that can get expensive.
Alternatives & Substitutions Silica Microspheres would be my first suggestion. Keep in mind that when you’re making substitutions in cosmetics even very small changes can dramatically impact the performance, wear time, and consistency of the cosmetic. I worked on a formulation that included 0.25% Silica Dimethyl Silylate (SDS), which didn’t work—I switched that 0.25% to silicone elastomer and it was perfect.
How to Work with It Avoid inhaling silicone elastomer; I find it is far less floaty/inhalation prone than Silica Dimethyl Silylate and Silica Microspheres.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, silicone elastomer should last three years or more.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks Read the reviews for this product on TKB Trading to get some fun ideas for using it!
Recommended starter amount 30g (1.06oz) will last a long time!
Where to Buy it  I have only found silicone elastomer for sale from TKB Trading.

Some Formulations that Use Silicone Elastomer

Dendritic Salt

by | Mar 19, 2021

What is it? Dendritic Salt is a high surface area salt that is used in bath salt formulations to improve fragrance retention and reduce/prevent clumping.
INCI Sodium chloride
Appearance Small white crystals; visually indistinguishable from table salt.
Usage rate I find ~10% is typically sufficient to prevent clumping.
Texture Fine, crystalline.
Scent Nothing noticeable.
Solubility Water
Why do we use it in formulations? We include Dendritic Salt in bath salt formulations so they don’t seize into rock hard bath bricks over time. I consider Dendritic Salt (or products that do a similar job, like Natrasorb) to be essential in formulating bath salts and other free-flowing bath powder formulations.
Do you need it? If you like making bath salts I’d say Dendritic Salt is a must-have ingredient. If you don’t care about bath salts you don’t need it.
Refined or unrefined? Dendritic Salt only exists as a refined product.
Strengths Excellent at preventing clumping/seizing and improving fragrance retention in bath salts.
Weaknesses Dendritic Salt can be hard to find, depending on where you live.
Alternatives & Substitutions Natrasorb might work; do not use non-dendritic salt as an alternative.
How to Work with It Massage wet ingredients (fragrance, essential oils, solubilizers) into the Dendritic Salt, and then massage/blend in the rest of the dry ingredients.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, dendritic salt should last indefinitely.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks Since the INCI for Dendritic Salt is “sodium chloride”, just like table salt, this ingredient is a bit of a secret for bath salts makers—the ingredient list won’t reveal its presence, but it’s doing a very important job!
Recommended starter amount 100g (3.5oz)
Where to Buy it  Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier or Amazon.

Some Formulations that Use Dendritic Salt

Silica Dimethyl Silylate

by | Feb 10, 2020

What is it? Silica Dimethyl Silylate is an ultra-lightweight fumed silica—it’s really different from silica microspheres.
INCI Silica Dimethyl Silylate
Appearance Loose, white powder
Usage rate 0.1–30%
Texture Fluffy, lightweight powder. If you get any on your hands it is immediately so dry that your fingers will feel skiddy, like they’re covered in chalk.
Scent Nothing noticeable
Solubility Insoluble
Why do we use it in formulations? Silica Dimethyl Silylate is insanely absorbent. When combined with oils it creates transparent oil gels, which is very cool, and also reduces the oily feel. It also contributes viscosity to liquid cosmetics like liquid eyeliner and lipstick, and helps reduce pigment settling (very helpful for makeup applied to parts of the face that move/crease a lot). It is so dang absorbent that it also provides quite a lot of grip to things—I’ve used it in hair products and it is like a supercharged dry shampoo.
Do you need it? You only need Silica Dimethyl Silylate if you’re very passionate about making makeup.
Refined or unrefined? Silica Dimethyl Silylate only exists as a refined product.
Strengths Very cool multi-use ingredient that improves the performance of many cream and liquid cosmetics by offering thickening, oil control, and pigment settling/bleeding.
Weaknesses It’s pretty niche; if you don’t make makeup or hair products you likely won’t use it all that much.
Alternatives & Substitutions You’ll need to determine what the Silica Dimethyl Silylate is doing in a formulation. If it’s there mostly for oil absorption (in a hair product, for instance) something like silica microspheres or calcium carbonate might do the trick. For oil thickening, you could try a fatty thickener like stearic acid (though that will add quite a lot of richness that Silica Dimethyl Silylate wouldn’t add).
How to Work with It Wear a dust mask! Silica Dimethyl Silylate is insanely light and floaty—just opening the bag will send it floating around the room. It can be hot or cold processed; I like to add it to my oil phase.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, Silica Dimethyl Silylate should last indefinitely.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks You can use Silica Dimethyl Silylate to make your own version of this product!
Recommended starter amount 30g (1.06oz) or less—an ounce of this stuff is a lot, volume-wise.
Where to Buy it  Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier or Amazon.

Some Formulations that Use Silica Dimethyl Silylate

Quaternium-90 Sepiolite and Quaternium-90 Montmorillonite (Thickening Clay)

by | Apr 18, 2019

What is it? Quaternium-90 Sepiolite (and) Quaternium-90 Montmorillonite (Thickening Clay) is an alkyl quaternary ammonium clay. It’s basically a fine powder derived from clay that has been treated to create a powder that, when used in small amounts, thickens oil-based products and helps keep pigments in suspension. It is generally recommended for use in cosmetics.

This product is manufactured by Eckart America and is called GARAMITE-7308 XR.

While this product certainly helps prevent pigment settling, it does not prevent it entirely. Too much can make products feel dry on the skin, so simply using more isn’t always a good approach, either.
INCI Quaternium-90 Sepiolite (and) Quaternium-90 Montmorillonite
Appearance Off white fine powder
Usage rate The suggested rate is 1–3%
Texture Smooth ultrafine powder
Scent Nothing noticeable
Charge Cationic (positive)
Solubility Insoluble
Why do we use it in formulations? Quaternium-90 Sepiolite (and) Quaternium-90 Montmorillonite does four very cool things. 1) It thickens oil-based concoctions. 2) It contributes to a more matte finish. 3) It helps keep powdered pigments in suspension. 4) It helps improve adhesion/wear time in colour cosmetics.
Do you need it? If you like creating coloured cosmetics I would highly recommend it!
Refined or unrefined? Quaternium-90 Sepiolite and Quaternium-90 Montmorillonite only exists as a refined product.
Strengths Excellent pigment suspension, thickening, and skin feel at low concentrations. It’s also very easy to work with!
Weaknesses Too much can make the end product drying (I find even 3% can create products that are more drying than I’d like, especially in lip products). It’s also pretty dang hard to source outside the USA.
Alternatives & Substitutions I don’t have any great recommendations. You can try using white kaolin clay in its place, but this will not have the thickening/suspending properties or the added adhesion.
How to Work with It Take care not to inhale the clay—wear a dust mask. This product is very lightweight and floaty, and very easy to accidentally inhale. Stir/blend it into the oil phase of your concoctions at pretty much any point—the manufacturer stipulates it can be incorporated at any time. Low shear mixing is sufficient—I usually use my MicroMini Mixer to blend everything together.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, Quaternium-90 Sepiolite and Quaternium-90 Montmorillonite should last at least five years.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks Learn more about Alkonium Clays here.
Recommended starter amount 30g (1.06oz)
Where to Buy it The only place I’ve found it for sale is TKB Trading.

Some Formulations that Use Quaternium-90 Sepiolite and Quaternium-90 Montmorillonite (Thickening Clay)

Boron nitride

by | Mar 7, 2019

What is it? Boron nitride is an inorganic compound made of boron and nitrogen, purchased in powder form for use in cosmetics.
INCI Boron nitride
Appearance White powder
Usage rate “Boron nitride is reported to be used at up to 25% in eye product formulations, at 2% in lipstick formulations, up to 16% in powders, and at up to 0.9% in fragrance preparations.” –CIR Report (These numbers were reported by industry as typical usage numbers and are not maximum allowable concentrations)
Texture Soft, fine powder
Scent None
Solubility Insoluble
Why do we use it in formulations? Boron nitride improves both slip and adhesion in cosmetics; I tend to primarily use it in eye makeup formulations as both slip and adhesion are very important there. It also contributes a bit of a soft-focus finish, similar to sericite mica. I’ve mostly worked with boron nitride in formulations you’ll find in my book, Make it Up.
Do you need it? Not necessarily, but I would highly recommend it if you want to make your own eyeshadow.
Strengths Excellent skin feel, slip, and adhesion properties.
Weaknesses Can be harder to find, and it is one of the more expensive cosmetic powders.
Alternatives & Substitutions Boron nitride is tricky to substitute. Sericite mica has similar properties, but does not improve adhesion nearly as well as boron nitride does, so you might consider using a blend of sericite mica and an adhesion booster like magnesium stearate or magnesium myristate as a starting point.
How to Work with It Include it in the ground portion of your cosmetic recipes. It can be hot or cold processed.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, boron nitride should last indefinitely.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks The crystal shape of boron nitride is hexagonal.
Recommended starter amount 30 (1oz) or less. Even 10g (0.35oz) would last you a while if you can find somewhere selling that small of an amount.
Where to Buy it Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier. It is sold on Amazon, but much of it isn’t cosmetic grade, so if you do choose to purchase through Amazon please confirm with the seller that what you are purchasing is cosmetic and not industrial grade.

Some Formulations that Use Boron nitride

Calcium carbonate

by | Feb 28, 2019

What is it? Calcium carbonate is a naturally occurring form of calcium—egg shells are made up almost entirely of calcium carbonate!
INCI Calcium carbonate
Appearance White powder
Usage rate Varies with the end product and the reason for use; 5–30%
Texture Soft, chalky powder
Scent Nothing much—perhaps a bit dusty
pH 9
Solubility Slightly water soluble
Why do we use it in formulations? Calcium carbonate absorbs oil extremely well, so it can be found in cosmetics and skin care products as an oil control/mattifying ingredient. The high pH of calcium carbonate means you need to be careful with use around the eyes, though.

You’ll also find calcium carbonate in toothpastes as a mild abrasive.
Do you need it? No; I tend to prefer silica microspheres, though they are more expensive.
Refined or unrefined? While you can make your own calcium carbonate from eggshells I would recommend purchasing it—the store bought powder is much softer/less gritty than anything you’ll ever be able to make at home.
Strengths Very effective oil absorber/mattifying ingredient, inexpensive.
Weaknesses High pH.
Alternatives & Substitutions Silica microspheres are a great alternative.
How to Work with It Calcium carbonate can be hot or cold processed. As it is insoluble you can add it to either the heated oil or heated water phase of an emulsion—I’d probably choose the water phase as calcium carbonate is quite absorbent, so it seems wise to put it in the larger phase. In cosmetics, grind it in with everything else.
Storage & Shelf Life Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, calcium carbonate should last at least five years.
Tips, Tricks, and Quirks Calcium carbonate occurs naturally in many things, including marble, egg shells, and pearls!
Recommended starter amount 30g/1 ounce or less.
Where to Buy it Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier or Amazon. It is available as a dietary supplement, and those can be suitable, just make sure what you’re getting is 100% calcium carbonate. Pressed tablets will often have binding ingredients, so look for free flowing powders and read the ingredients list.

Some Formulations that Use Calcium Carbonate