SILICONES ARE BEING BANNED FROM MAKEUP... but the alternative has been around for 45 years!

100%  Water Based
Airbrush Makeup

Hollywood, late '70s: young makeup artist and esthetician Dina Ousley asks engineering student George Lampman to formulate makeup products that may ready to be sprayed through an airbrush without special dilution or "reduction". This leads George and Dina to found Dinair, the first company to produce beauty makeup lines created to be used exclusively with an airbrush. The products are water based, and Dina is fiercely determined to keep them silicone-free even later, when other newly established airbrush makeup brands will find great success with silicone based lines. In the meantime, more brands follow with airbrush water based lines, such as Graftobian (GlamAire line), Kett, Tickled Pink and more still who market directly to consumers rather than pro makeup artists. The common characteristics of these water based products is the very natural, barely perceptible finish with great coverage and durability.

Europe, 2019: . The European Community announces restrictions on the use of silicones in the cosmetic industry, igniting a substantial revolution for an industry that had relying heavily on these elements as structural components in their products formulation. It is very important to stress that the European directives stem primarily from an environmental concern rather than an immediate danger for human health. Silicones are now identified as bioaccumulative elements that represent a threat for aquatic organism and environment.

The elements in question are cyclic volatile methylsiloxanes (cVMS) D5 (Cyclopentasiloxane), D4 (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane) D6 (cyclohexasiloxane). Their use in cosmetic formulations has been initially restricted and will be altogether be banned in concentrations exceeding 0.1% after June 2027. 
These silicones have been employed for years in an enormous amount of cosmetic products because of their characteristics, which help towards the cosmetic's texture, malleability, feeling and longevity. Eliminating these elements from the products composition has become the most significant challenge that the beauty industry has had to face in the last few years. While the restrictions are limited for the time being to the European Communion, it is not unimaginable that the rest of the world will sooner or later follow. More importantly, it is highly predictable that most beauty conglomerates that are going through the considerable effort or reformulating their production will then stick to the new formulas, rather than keep separate production lines going in different parts of the world. Moreover, brands outside of the EU that wish to keep trading with the Union's countries will have to comply, so it is easy to deduct that the use of silicones will slowly fade out globally.

As an independent makeup artist and educator, I have been a fan of every aspect of the airbrush makeup industry since the beginning, and I have been able to appreciate both the water based approach and the silicone based perspective. and to fully take advantage of the characteristic that those formulas offered. 
While feeling the loss of these products, many of which have altogether disappeared from European distributors, I am excited to consider alternatives that can produce comparable results while observing the new directives. The trend for the traditional beauty industry, as  in a very interesting article by Italian Makeup artist, trainer and author Antonio Ciaramella, seems to lean towards lighter, more natural finishes that will not necessarily create "a perfect complexion, but a believable one. Not a total cover up, but a smarter approach to reality"

Phone shot, ZERO FILTERS APPLIED

  Phone shot, ZERO FILTERS APPLIED

As I read these words, I couldn't help but think how accurately they describe the finish achieved by airbrush water based products. I realized that the beauty industry may be finally coming to the point -or perhaps being forced to get there-, where the goal has become the very standard that the formulas created by Dina and George (or inspired by them) have been allowing us to achieve for 45 years. 

Now I wish I was a formulator or at least a cosmetologist myself, in order to go deeper into why these products yield the results that they do, but I will leave these consideration to those who are more qualified than me to make them, and simply limit myself to reporting their ingredients list below. 

As far as silicone based airbrush products, a possible substitute seems to be Isododecane, a hydrocarbon that allows for a very soft finish, and that is extremely durable and water proof. In my experience the current products based on this element, however effective, require an experienced hand to be distributed with enough lightness to appear natural. Further research is underway, and I confident that more alternatives will see the light soon. 

In the meantime, as an airbrush makeup educator, I can only share what my current favorite product combination is to achieve a finish that has the same great features of a silicone based makeup, and none of the soon to be banned ingredients: in the last few months I have concentrated on using Dinair's Radiance line, which has a very soft and natural finish, great coverage and excellent water resistance. I often use Dinair's Glow and Set setting spray for extra luminosity, and if I am looking for that completely water proof, "armored skin" result I simply top the application with a setting spray such as Kryolan Fix It, with no need for powders whatsoever. 

Correttivo estremo 100% Base Acqua  Aerografo

Correttivo estremo

100% Base Acqua 

Aerografo

As always, I do not foster any delusion or pretense that the beauty industry at large will suddenly realize the potential of airbrush makeup, because the profit margins offered by this niche sector are not comparable to those allowed by traditional products, and because this technique requires learning the use of a mechanical tool, that as easy as it may be, is not commonly offered to beauty enthusiasts. For those willing to try it, however, once again airbrush makeup grants unprecedented results, and has been doing so for 45 years with a standard of lightness, coverage and durability that the traditional beauty industry is still, in fact now more than every, trying to replicate. 

DEDICATION:

This article is dedicated in loving memory of George Lampman, who passed away a year ago. 

***DISCLAIMER: as always, this article is born out of my experience and opinions. No compensation was received in any form from any of the brands and companies listed in the piece. -Daniele Pacini

With very special thanks to: 
Antonio Ciaramella, Emiliana Sancamillo, Daniela Arrigoni, Laura Portomeo, Lina Pagliarella, Maria Miliè Academy. 

Photo credits:
Gianmarco Errigo (Primo Scatto in alto) Marta Rudi (Modella).Daniele Pacini (Makeup, demo per Maria Miliè Academy)

DINAIR Ingredients (Glamour Line)

Deionized Water, Propylene Glycol, Acrylates Octylacrylamide Copolymer, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Xanthan Gum, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate,Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Triethanolamine. (Pigments) Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Manganese Violet, Chromium Oxide Green, Aluminum Powder, Bronze Powder.

GRAFTOBIAN Ingredients (GlamAire Line)
Water, Acrylates Copolymer, Propylene Glycol, TEA(Triethanolamine), Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Ethyhexylglycerin, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron,
Oxide Black (CI 77499), Iron Oxide Red (CI 77491), Iron Oxide Yellow (CI 77492), Ultramarines (CI 77007), Red 6 Lake (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Chromium Oxide Green (CI 77288)

KETT HYDRO Ingredients: Purified Water, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Triethanolamine, Cellulose Gum, Silica, Methylisthazolinone, Decylene Glycol. May Contain (+/-): Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Ultramarine Blue, Chromium Green Oxide, D&C Red #6 Barium Lake, D&C Red #7 Calcium Lake, Fd&C Yellow #5.