IMCD launches D5 replacement on back of formulator demand

According to the company, questions are being raise about the effect of D5 volatile silicone (cyclopentasiloxane) on the environment by Canadian regulatory bodies, and the number of customers requesting alternatives is increasing.

IMCD’s SMART 5 can provide the same volatile and sensorial properties as D5 while remaining cost effective, the company claims.

“SMART 5 has a number of properties that can be of interest to formulators of color cosmetics, sun care and hair care products, and principle uses include lotions and creams, hair conditioning and styling products, sunscreens, antiperspirants and make-up products”​ Daniela Cassano told CosmeticsDesign.com USA.

The company investigated a number of compounds in partnership with several Italian universities before finding the right candidate for the ingredient, the company’s personal care lab manager Alessandro Mezzanotte explained.

“In a preliminary study, we reviewed a wide range of materials from both natural and synthetic sources. It quickly became apparent that only synthetics were able to meet the target performance,”​ he said.

Expanding on the difficulty of finding natural substitutes for the ingredient Cassano said price also played a role: “There are a lot of tentative natural substitutes called on to replace D5, but even if they seem to match sensorial properties they definitely do not match the price, prices are often three times as high.”​

SMART 5 is a combination of two hydrocarbon molecules with good compatibility with a wide range of ingredients including sunscreen actives and silicones, Cassano said.

As a light dry fluid it mimics the properties of D5 and does not contain animal derived raw materials, she added.

Regulatory questions lead to increased demand​

Increasing demand off the back of the regulatory questions surrounding the ingredient has driven a number of suppliers to launch what they refer to as D5 replacements.

In the summer of 2010 both the US arm of Japanese company ShinEtsu and Croda launched potential D5 replacements, citing increased market demand.

Shin Etsu’s DMF-2 offers enhanced sensory properties for cosmetics, as well as not suffering the same regulatory questions, the company claims.

According to Croda, its Crodamol SFX, also launched last summer, can provide the silky, dry skin feel as well as providing shine benefits to hair care products.