Why would we want to use silicones in a facial moisturizer? Dimethicone is moisturizing and skin conditioning, and it is an approved barrier ingredient, meaning it will protect our skin from the outside world. Cyclomethicone is a good emollient that can behave as a surface smoothing agent for aging skin, and it will detackify sticky ingredients like glycerin or sorbitol. They both offer a silky, less greasy feeling than our natural oils, which is great in a moisturizer.
You can take pretty much any moisturizer you like and substitute the silicones for the oils and the BTMS for the emulsifier and have a silicone based moisturizer, but we'll modify our base facial moisturizer recipe to be mostly about the silicones. I'm also adding evening primrose oil because it offers some lovely qualities like fatty acids, phytosterols, and polyphenols we won't get in the silicones. You can use any oils you have in your workshop to replace this oil or the silicones, if you wish.
SILICONE BASED MOISTURIZER
HEATED WATER PHASE
56.5% water
10% aloe vera
10% lavender or other hydrosol
3% glycerin
2% hydrolyzed protein of choice
HEATED OIL PHASE
5% borage or evening primrose oil
4% Incroquat BTMS-50
2% cetyl alcohol
COOL DOWN PHASE
2% panthenol
5% dimethicone
2% cyclomethicone
1% Vitamin E
0.5% to 1% preservative of choice
Follow the general lotion making instructions for this product.
Want to make more moisturizers or tweak this one? Check out these posts!
Facial moisturizers: An introduction
Facial moisturizers: Another overview
Facial moisturizer with hemp seed and macadamia nut oil
Facial moisturizer for dry skin
Facial moisturizer for oily skin
Facial moisturizer for aging or wrinkled skin
Facial moisturizer with sunflower oil
Liquid foundation - light coverage
Liquid foundation - medium coverage
Facial moisturizers - silicone based
Moisturizers using BTMS-50 as the emulsifier...
Oil free moisturizer
Oil free foundation
Silicone based moisturizer
Oily skin moisturizer
Other posts in this series:
One ingredient, ten products: Incroquat BTMS-50
One ingredient, ten products: Incroquat BTMS-50 in a rinse off conditioner
One ingredient, ten products: Incroquat BTMS-50 in a leave in conditioner
One ingredient, ten products: Incroquat BTMS-50 in an intense conditioner
One ingredient, ten products: Incroquat BTMS-50 in a facial moisturizer (part one)
One ingredient, ten products: Incroquat BTMS-50 in a facial moisturizer (part two)
One ingredient, ten products: Incroquat BTMS-50 in a body butter
One ingredient, ten products: Incroquat BTMS-50 in a sugar scrub (part one)
One ingredient, ten products: Incroquat BTMS-50 in a sugar scrub (part two)