Instrumental Assessment of the Effectiveness of Silicone Replacement Materials in Anti-perspirant Sticks

The increasing concerns regarding the persistence of silicone in the environment and its bioaccumulation in living organisms have led to a rise in popularity for silicone free cosmetics. This is because of the potential long-term effects that silicone may have on human health and the environment, which have called into question its safety and sustainability.

The research project aimed to identify and evaluate a natural and biodegradable cosmetic material that can replace silicone in anti-perspirant stick formulations. The selection was made based on the evaluation of mechanical parameters (brittleness, hardness, coefficient of friction, and work of shear) and thermal parameters (mass loss and enthalpy). The evaluation encompassed the assessment of several quality and performance attributes.

The project was conducted in the Cosmetic Science laboratories at UAL, LCF and was led by Dr Milica Stevic, in collaboration with a research assistant, Joyce Lemmer. The project is funded by Surfatech, a US cosmetic company.