XIAMETER™ PMX-200 Silicone Fluid is a polydimethylsiloxane fluid commonly used as a base fluid in personal care products due to its excellent spreading and unique volatility characteristics. It is clear, tasteless, essentially odorless, and non-greasy. Unlike other volatile carriers used in the personal care industry, this volatile silicone fluid does not cool the skin when it evaporates, which is a result of its remarkably low heat of vaporization.

What is a linear polydimethylsiloxane?

Polydimethylsiloxane is an organo-mineral polymer from siloxane family. It is composed of Silicon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Silicon, represented by the pure element Si, makes up 28% of the earth’s crust.

Silicon metal is obtained when silica from sand is heated at very high temperatures with a source of carbon like wood. Combined with methyl alcohol, chlorhydric acid and water it is transformed into polydimethylsiloxane.

Polydimethylsiloxane has a unique chemical structure that results in unique physical properties: 

• Low surface tension (21 mN/m) makes it easy to spread.
• Low glass transition temperature (-128°C)
• PDMS are liquid at low Temp. even at high Mw (Liquid viscosity range of 0.65 to > 30 MM cSt.)
• Low viscosity temperature coefficient
• High compressibility (9% @20000psi)
• High gas permeability
• High chemical stability
• Thermal/oxidative high stability

These unique Physico-chemical Properties results in unique Formulation and Sensorial Benefits:

• Inert to light, heat, air, other ingredients, resistant to micro-organisms, long storage stability
• Safe molecule,
• Waterproof and substantive
• Allows the skin to breathe, non-occlusive (non-comedogenic, non-acnegenic, non-irritating)
• Spread on polar (hydrophilic) and non-polar (hydrophobic) substrates
• High spreadability,
• Non-tacky, non-greasy, lubrification (hair conditioning, detangling)
• Liquid even at high molecular weight

Volatility