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As the new version of GB/T 39495-2026 Technical Specification for Polyether Modified Silicone Oil officially comes into effect, China’s polyether silicone oil industry is entering a critical transition period from capacity expansion to refined compliance. This functional material, which combines the temperature resistance of siloxane and the hydrophilicity of polyether, is unifying application standards across multiple downstream sectors including textile finishing, water-based coating additives and cosmetic ingredient filing, while continuously improving its domestic self-sufficiency rate and high-end scenario adaptation capacity.
At present, three core production clusters for polyether silicone oil have taken shape in North, East and Central China. Enterprises in different regions have formed differentiated product positioning based on the characteristics of local downstream industrial clusters. Enterprises in northern China focus on general-grade polyether silicone oil, providing stable supply for bulk scenarios such as textile wastewater treatment and industrial defoaming. Leveraging the regional organosilicon new material industrial cluster, East China enterprises concentrate on developing high value-added grades for coating leveling agents and polyurethane foam-stabilizing additives. Central China enterprises target niche sectors such as daily chemicals and pesticide additives, launching customized polyether modified products with tailored hydrophilic-lipophilic balance.
In terms of market supply structure, the domestic self-sufficiency rate of conventional water-soluble polyether silicone oil has exceeded 90%. The terminal procurement price has long remained stable in the range of RMB 18 to 30 per kilogram, with sufficient spot supply of general grades to meet regular bulk procurement demands from industries such as coatings and textiles. For high-end categories including terminal epoxy polyether silicone oil and special grades with high EO content and high cloud point, domestic enterprises have narrowed the performance gap with international counterparts through molecular structure design and synthesis process optimization. Some of these grades have been listed in the qualified supplier directories of daily chemical brands and automotive coating manufacturers.
Since September 2026, the newly implemented technical specification for polyether silicone oil has for the first time included mandatory management requirements for volatile organic compound (VOC) limits, GHS classification labeling and pre-transport appraisal. Before this regulation was issued, most domestic enterprises only conducted basic physical and chemical index tests such as viscosity and refractive index in factory inspection, and the testing coverage rate for items like EO/PO addition number, trace heavy metal residues and phthalates was less than 40%. After the new standard came into force, polyether silicone oil products exported to the EU and North America are required to provide additional REACH SVHC screening reports. Products used for cosmetic filing must also meet the heavy metal and microbial limit requirements specified in the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics (2023 Edition).
At present, multiple third-party testing institutions in China with both CMA and CNAS qualifications have completed the scope expansion of testing capacity for all 21 mandatory items under the new national standard. To meet the differentiated demands of different application scenarios, factory inspection for textile additives can prioritize core items including cloud point, refractive index, pH value and volatile content. Cosmetic ingredient filing requires supplementary special tests for heavy metals, microorganisms and phthalates. Export-oriented enterprises can simultaneously prepare bilingual test reports in Chinese and English, MSDS documents and maritime/rail dangerous goods transport appraisal, to avoid subsequent compliance risks such as customs declaration rejection and failed factory audits.
The performance advantages of polyether silicone oil stem from the synergistic effect of the siloxane main chain and polyether side chains — the siloxane structure provides low surface tension, temperature resistance and smoothness, while the polyether segments endow the material with excellent dispersibility and compatibility in aqueous systems. Different application scenarios have vastly different performance requirements for polyether silicone oil, and general-grade products often cannot meet multiple process requirements simultaneously. Customized development for niche scenarios has become the mainstream direction of the industry.
In the field of water-based coatings and electrophoretic coating, polyether silicone oil mainly functions to reduce dynamic surface tension and improve substrate wetting, which can effectively reduce common process defects such as film shrinkage cavities and poor edge coverage, without negatively affecting intercoat adhesion and recoatability. Some engineering machinery coating enterprises have reduced the occurrence frequency of shrinkage cavity defects by more than 60% after introducing adapted polyether silicone oil grades.
In textile finishing, hydrophilic polyether silicone oil can be compounded with other softening components to enhance smooth handfeel without compromising the hydrophilicity of fabrics. It solves the long-standing industry pain points of traditional amino silicone oil (insufficient hydrophilicity) and pure hydrophilic silicone oil (weak smoothness), and is widely used in hydrophilic softening finishing processes for towels, home textiles and sportswear fabrics.
In polyurethane foaming, special-grade polyether silicone oil acts as a foam homogenizing and stabilizing component, which stabilizes the mixing system of polyol and isocyanate, controls cell uniformity and closed-cell ratio, adapts to the handfeel and support requirements of different products such as slow-rebound memory foam and flexible sponge, and reduces process problems including large pores and foam collapse.
In personal care and cosmetics, compliance-grade polyether silicone oil, as a silicone-based conditioning agent, improves the spreading feel of creams and hair care products, enables stable emulsification of oil-water two phases, and prevents stratification and oil floating during long-term storage, bringing a silky non-sticky user experience to end products.
As downstream application scenarios continue to segment, the selection of polyether silicone oil can no longer be judged solely by a few parameters such as viscosity and solid content. Procurement and formulation personnel need to conduct comprehensive evaluation combining system characteristics, process requirements and compliance standards.
First, clarify your specific application field, prioritize suppliers with proven project experience in the same scenario, and confirm whether their products are compatible with your existing formulation system. Second, verify relevant enterprise qualifications and stable supply capacity, and prioritize production entities with national high-tech enterprise or "specialized, refined, differential and innovative" enterprise certifications to avoid supply chain disruptions caused by capacity fluctuations. Finally, sample testing must be completed before bulk procurement, to verify core indicators such as viscosity, cloud point, compatibility and system stability one by one. Only after confirming full compliance with process requirements can subsequent cooperation be advanced.
Q1: What are the core differences between polyether silicone oil and ordinary dimethyl silicone oil?
A: Ordinary dimethyl silicone oil is almost insoluble in water and can only be dispersed in oil-based systems, which limits its application scenarios. By introducing polyether side chains onto the siloxane main chain, polyether silicone oil achieves good solubility in water, ethanol and most polar solvents. It can be stably dispersed in water-based systems such as water-based coatings, daily chemical washing products and pesticide additives without oil floating or demulsification, while retaining the basic properties of silicone materials including low surface tension, temperature resistance and smoothness.
Q2: What scenarios are suitable for polyether silicone oils with different HLB values?
A: Polyether silicone oil with low HLB value is more suitable for defoaming and wetting scenarios, as it can quickly reduce the surface tension of the system, eliminate micro-foams and improve substrate spreading effect. Products with medium HLB value are mostly used in coating leveling and textile softening finishing, providing smooth performance while balancing system compatibility. Products with high HLB value have stronger hydrophilicity, making them suitable for daily chemical emulsification and self-emulsifying silicone oil preparation. They can be directly diluted with water to form stable emulsions without adding extra emulsifiers.
Q3: What testing requirements must polyether silicone oil meet when used for cosmetic ingredient filing?
A: In addition to conventional indicators such as viscosity, refractive index, pH value and volatile content, it is also required to complete special tests for heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium), microbial limits and phthalate residues. All test results must meet the requirements specified in the Safety and Technical Standards for Cosmetics (2023 Edition), and be accompanied by a third-party test report issued by a CMA-qualified institution, before the ingredient filing can be submitted to the drug regulatory authority.
Q4: Why is sample testing mandatory before bulk procurement of polyether silicone oil?
A: The performance of polyether silicone oil is highly dependent on detailed parameters such as the PO/EO ratio in its molecular structure, hydrosilylation conversion rate and end-capping group type. Even products with the same nominal viscosity from different manufacturers may behave completely differently in the same formulation system, and some products may even react with other additives in the system, causing problems such as shrinkage cavities, failed foam stabilization and stratification. Obtaining samples and completing full-process verification on your own production line before bulk procurement is the most reliable way to avoid process accidents after large-scale purchasing.
Q5: What additional compliance documents are required for polyether silicone oil products exported overseas?
A: For products exported to the EU, it is necessary to provide REACH SVHC full screening reports, VOC content test reports and bilingual SDS documents that comply with GHS standards. Products exported to North America must simultaneously meet the impurity control requirements under the local TSCA regulation. For products transported by rail or sea, dangerous goods transport appraisal documents must be prepared in advance to avoid customs clearance risks such as order rejection and cargo detention at ports.
