Evonik Industries is launching two new products to replace microplastics in peeling products: the specialty silica Sipernat 2200 PC and Sipernat 22 PC. A number of prominent international cosmetics companies already use the new specialty silica products in shower gels, facial care and body peeling products based on the prototypes released by Evonik in late 2013.
Sipernat 2200 PC and Sipernat 22 PC are listed as nature-identical by the International Natural and Organic Cosmetics Association (Natrue), a globally active association for the promotion of natural skin care. This means the substance (in this case, silica or SiO2) is already found naturally, but is not usually available in the required purity. Cosmetic products have very high purity standards. Although synthetic amorphous silica is identical to naturally occurring silica (such as sand) in chemical terms, its purity is significantly higher than natural silica due to the production process at Evonik.
In the past, cosmetic peeling products frequently contained microscopically small particles of polyethylene and polypropylene. “All leading manufacturers of cosmetics and body care products are currently working to replace abrasive microplastics particles,” explains Andreas Fischer, the head of the Silica Business Line of the Evonik Resource Efficiency Segment. The background of this trend is the public debate about oceanic pollution caused by microplastics. In addition to plastic waste as the main cause, the discussion has also brought up synthetic particles in cosmetics. “The specialty silica Sipernat with its high purity level is an ideal solution because it fully meets the requirements for abrasive particles,” notes Fischer.
