Database/Anticaking/Silica Silylate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Silica Silylate natural?

Mostly. The bulk of the material is natural amorphous silica; a thin petrochemical trimethylsilyl surface coating makes it more water-repellent.

INCI nameSilica Silylate
FunctionAnticaking · Antifoaming
FeedstockSilica Silylate starts from natural amorphous silica (a…

How we scored it

Amorphous silica core (mineral, natural) with trimethylsilyl surface treatment estimated at ~10-15% of mass (petrochemical); no formula given, so natural fraction is estimated at ~0.85.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Silica Silylate starts from natural amorphous silica (a mineral), whose surface silanol groups are then capped with petrochemical trimethylsilane to make the powder hydrophobic. The silica core dominates the mass.

In plain English

A silica (mineral) powder with its surface chemically treated to repel water, used to improve texture, prevent caking and stabilise emulsions in cosmetics.

CosIng definition: Amorphous silica, reaction products with trimethylsilane

Natural alternatives with the same function

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2SILICA SILYLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3SILICA SILYLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SILICA%20SILYLATE