All4Nutra
PRESS RELEASE, 21. August 2025
From 2027, the cosmetics industry will be entering a new chapter: cyclopentasiloxane and other cyclic silicones, once hailed as miracle ingredients in skin and color care products, will be banned in the EU!
For years, there have been serious concerns about silicones due to their poor biodegradability and potential health risks. Alternatives to cyclopentasiloxane (D5) were already in demand in the 2010s. In 2020, the concentration in rinse-off products was restricted, followed by classification as a POP (persistent organic pollutant) in 2024. In response, the EU reacted in May 2024 with a new restriction that will also ban D5 in leave-on formulations (latest implementation date July 6, 2027).
What is good news for nature and sustainability poses major challenges for formulators:
How can you successfully reformulate?
There is no one-size-fits-all solution. It depends much more on the following conditions:
- Application – skin care / decorative cosmetics / hair care …
- Reason for using silicones: volatility / non-soaping /sensory profile / compatibility / cost / availability / safety …
- Requirements – compatibility / skin feel / naturalness / sustainability …
In the skin care sector, cyclopentasiloxane is frequently used due to the following properties:
- Inert
- Compatible
- Volatile
- Reduces “whitening” (soaping)
- Light, dry skin feel
MIGLYOL® Coco 810 offers very similar properties to cyclopentasiloxane
MIGLYOL® Coco 810 (INCI: Coco-Caprylate/Caprate) is our first choice for sustainably upgrading your formulations. This low-polar emollient is not only very similar to cyclopentasiloxane in its properties, it also has a very high flash point (unlike other products on the market such as C9-12 alkanes or isododecane). This makes MIGLYOL® Coco 810 safe to use and requires neither special storage nor “explosion protection.”
MIGLYOL® Coco 810 is natural and offers a “silicone dry touch”
One of the main arguments in favour of cyclopentasiloxane is the pleasant, light, non-sticky, dry skin feel. A double-blind test was conducted to assess how consumers rated the sensory properties of cyclopentasiloxane and MIGLYOL® Coco 810 in a direct comparison – in an O/W emulsion and in pure form.
The O/W emulsion with 10% MIGLYOL® Coco 810 not only exhibits comparable viscosity, texture, and pick-up, but also very similar sensory properties (more in our YouTube short: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/f91KxykD8uk). Both emulsions have high gliding properties and low oiliness and stickiness, making them ideal for demanding skin care formulations, including those for the Asian market. See for yourself via our video experience or order both formulations as samples.
