Although each cosmetic formulator has their own toolbox of ingredients to attain the desired product endpoints, versatile ingredients that provide multiple benefits are commonly favored. Obtaining the desired feel and performance in a formula has been greatly simplified by the evolution of silicone chemistry. Silicones have been popular cosmetic ingredients for decades, and have led to innovative textures in skin care and makeup. Though silicones began as basic linear polymer systems of polydimethylsilocane (INCI: Dimethicone), or more volatile, shorter cyclic silicones such as cyclopentasiloxane, technologies have evolved to develop various forms from these main backbones. Derivatives that were made from phenyl substituted silicones, such as phenyl trimethicone, also gave the industry more options for less volatile applications, compared to most linear systems.1
