Momentive's spiky silicone ups ingredient delivery

Tospearl 150KA microspheres has been developed to bring a soft focus to a range of cosmetic and personal care products and is said to have an outstanding lubricity, combined with the buttery feel that characterizes the company's Tospearl portfolio.

The formula, which has the INCI name Polyemthylsilsequioxane, is made up microfine spherical silicone resin particles that have a three-dimensional network structure.

The company says that the spikes arising on the surface of this structure cause increased scattering of light that significantly enhances the line blurring and soft focus properties already displayed by the technology.

Increased lubricity and blurring The resulting performance benefits make it well suited to a range of skin care products, including sunscreens, together with color make-up products such as foundations and lipsticks.

Momentive, which specializes in the supply of silicones to a variety of industries as well as supplying the quartz and ceramics markets, says that the latest formulation forms part of a wide range of Tospearl microspheres that differ in particle size and range.

This means that formulators can select different formulations in the range according to what type of performance attributes are necessary for all types of personal care products.

Beatriz Blanco, global marketing manager for Momentive, described the addition of the latest Tospearl formulation as being a great technical solution that is targeted to provide the consumer with a luxury feel.

The company supplies silicones to cosmetics manufacturers all over the world through its European, American and Asian divisions.

It recently announced third quarter sales up from $615m to $624m, underlining that its best performance had come from its silicones divisions worldwide.

Silicones: a growing global market With market researchers Freedonia predicting the global market for the silicones industry will reach $10.7bn by 2010, experts have noted that increasingly complex personal care formulations are responsible for the continued growth in demand of silicone-based ingredients for personal care applications.

Silicones are employed in a variety of applications across a spectrum of industries, but in the personal care sector they are used for sensory qualities, emolliency, to reduce friction and tension and to provide oxidative stability in finished products, ranging from hair care to every type of lotion and cream.

Freedonia suggest suggests that the material's positive market image and strong performance advantage will be the key factors that will continue to drive the category, with silicone gels and foams expected to be key growth areas.