How can a one ounce prestige-branded skin care product sell for a staggering retail amount and still retain incredible loyalty and repeat sales? The answer is ensuring a customers expectations were completely met or exceeded after using the product they were sold, otherwise, they would never buy it again. This is no small feat considering the high product price and the intensive or suggestive marketing involved behind the sale of product. All cosmetics are materials which involve chemistry, so the question becomes what “top-secret” chemistry is in the products that deliver such consistant value to the consumer? To be truthful, one “secret” ingredient class is silicone chemistry. But within the cosmetics industry, the secret is out since the majority of high-end cosmetics contain silicone chemistry in one form or another. The broad class of organo-silicone chemistry is in large part responsible for maintaining a profitable connection between actual product performance (eg. sensory) and the marketing expectations underpinning modern cosmetic products.

The aim of this presentation is to introduce the major areas of silicone chemistry used in the cosmetic and hair care fields, while providing a hands-on experience of touching the ingredients and products containing these ingredients. This presentation is based on the one given annually by the author at Fairleigh Dickenson University to chemists training for a masters degree in chemistry and science related to cosmetics and the greater personal care industries.