The Beauty & Personal Care Brand Builder Series

Ingredient Deep Dive

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

The Beauty & Personal Care Brand Builder Series

Ingredient Deep Dive

Polymethylsilsesquioxane

The Soft-Focus Silicone Powder

Polymethylsilsesquioxane is a spherical silicone elastomer powder used to give creams and primers a smooth, velvety, dry-touch finish.

Its tiny transparent microspheres roll across the skin to blur the look of pores and fine lines, absorb excess surface oil, and leave a soft, powdery, non-greasy feel.

Quick Insights

Ingredient Rating:

GOOD

Type of Ingredient:

Texture Enhancer and Oil Control Agent

Intended Function:

A silicone elastomer powder used to blur, mattify and add a soft, velvety feel to skin care and make-up.

Common Applications:

Used in serums and masks and night creams and moisturizers.

Target Audience:

Brands building blurring primers, soft-focus creams and mattifying moisturizers.

Also Known As:

Polymethylsilsesquioxane, PMSQ, Silica Silylate

Benefits of Polymethylsilsesquioxane

A spherical silicone powder that blurs the look of pores and fine lines and leaves a soft, dry-touch finish.

Soft-Focus Blur: Microspheres diffuse light to soften the look of pores and lines.
Silky Feel: Delivers a smooth, velvety, powdery afterfeel.
Oil Control: Absorbs excess surface oil for a fresher-looking finish.
Slip & Spread: Improves the glide and application of creams and primers.
Mattifying: Reduces unwanted surface shine.

How It Works

The powder’s transparent silicone microspheres sit on the skin and scatter light evenly, optically softening the appearance of texture; their spherical shape adds slip and a dry, cushioned feel while mopping up surface oil. The effect is a smoother-looking, more refined finish.

Formulating with Polymethylsilsesquioxane

Polymethylsilsesquioxane is a dry powder dispersed into the oil phase or added to anhydrous bases; it is inert and pairs well with silicones, esters and pigments. Observe good manufacturing practice.

Safety Analysis

Polymethylsilsesquioxane is inert and very well tolerated at cosmetic use levels. As always, substantiate the finished product’s safety (e.g. patch / HRIPT testing) in line with MoCRA requirements.

References

https://incidecoder.com/ingredients/polymethylsilsesquioxane

https://cosmeticanalysis.com/cosmetic-ingredients/polymethylsilsesquioxane

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