If you’re formulating natural cosmetics and you want that silky, lightweight glide that silicones deliver, without actually using silicones, you’re in good company. Three ingredients are doing a lot of heavy lifting in this space right now: octyldodecanol, coco-caprylate/caprate and isoamyl laurate. Together, they cover most of what silicones do in a formula, and they do it with a clean, plant-derived INCI that your customers can actually pronounce. This guide covers what each ingredient is, how they differ, where to use them, and how to work them into your recipes with confidence.

Why Formulators Are Ditching Silicones

Silicones like dimethicone and cyclomethicone are workhorses. They spread beautifully, reduce drag on the skin, give that signature non-greasy finish, and play nicely with most other ingredients. They are not inherently harmful, the safety data on common cosmetic silicones is well-established.

But the natural cosmetics space has solid reasons to look elsewhere. Many silicones biodegrade slowly, which matters increasingly to environmentally conscious consumers. They also sit outside the permitted ingredient lists for certified-natural frameworks like COSMOS, so if certification is part of your brand story, silicones are a non-starter. Beyond certification, consumer demand has shifted: shoppers in 2026 are reading labels more critically and actively seeking formulas that are genuinely plant-derived from base to top.

For home formulators and small-batch makers, this creates a practical challenge. You need ingredients that replicate the functional performance of silicones without borrowing their chemistry. That’s exactly where plant-derived esters come in and why we are discussing silicone replacements for natural cosmetics.

What Makes a Good Silicone Replacement?

Not every light oil can step into a silicone’s shoes. A true silicone replacement for natural cosmetics needs to tick several boxes:

Spreadability, it should reduce surface tension and help a formula glide across skin with minimal drag.
Light, non-greasy skin feel, the finished product must not feel heavy or occlusive when that’s not the goal.
Compatibility, it needs to blend smoothly with other oils, waxes, and actives without separation or instability.
Stability, it should hold up across a reasonable shelf life and not oxidise quickly.
Low viscosity, silicones are thin; a replacement that adds too much body will change the whole texture of a formula.

Plant-derived esters, particularly fatty acid esters, consistently score well against these criteria. Octyldodecanol, Coco-caprylate/caprate and isoamyl laurate are three of the strongest performers in this category, and they each bring something slightly different to the table.

Octyldodecanol: The Versatile Texture Enhancer

Where it comes from and how it behaves on skin

Octyldodecanol is a fatty alcohol derived from natural sources such as vegetable oils. It’s clear, stable, and slightly more viscous than coco-caprylate/caprate or isoamyl laurate, which makes it a useful tool when you want to fine‑tune texture. Unlike silicones, it doesn’t evaporate or leave a film; instead, it imparts a soft, cushiony feel that balances light esters beautifully.

On skin, Octyldodecanol feels smooth and conditioning, with a touch more body than the ultra‑light esters. It’s widely used in lipsticks, balms, and emulsions because it improves spreadability while also adding structure. It’s recognised under natural certification frameworks like COSMOS, making it a safe choice for certified‑natural formulations.

Best applications and usage rates

Typical usage rates range from 2% to 15%. At lower levels, it enhances slip and stability; at higher levels, it contributes to viscosity and emollience.

It suits:

Lipsticks and balms — adds glide and prevents drag
Creams and lotions — improves texture and stability in the oil phase
Hair conditioners — imparts softness and manageability
Colour cosmetics — helps bind pigments and improves payoff

Octyldodecanol is also a great blending partner: pair it with coco‑caprylate/caprate for a dry, silky finish, or with isoamyl laurate for enhanced slip and pigment dispersion.

Coco-Caprylate/Caprate: The Natural Emollient with a Silky Touch

Where it comes from and how it behaves on skin

Coco-caprylate/caprate is an ester made from fatty alcohols derived from coconut oil and caprylic/capric fatty acids, the same medium-chain fatty acids abundant in coconut and palm kernel oil. The result is a clear, very low-viscosity liquid with one of the most convincingly silicone-like skin feels you’ll find in the natural ingredient toolkit.

On skin, it spreads quickly and absorbs without leaving a greasy residue. The finish is dry and slightly powdery, which is exactly what makes it such an effective stand-in for dimethicone in leave-on products. It wets the skin surface evenly, which helps actives spread uniformly, and it doesn’t interfere with the performance of skin-identical lipids or botanical extracts you’ve blended in.

Coco-caprylate/caprate is recognised as a nature-derived ingredient under several major natural cosmetic certification standards, including COSMOS, making it a credible choice for formulators building certified-natural products. It is also generally considered readily biodegradable, which addresses the environmental concerns that drive many formulators away from traditional silicones.

Best applications and usage rates

Typical usage rates run from 2% to 30% by weight, depending on the product. At the lower end (2–5%), it adds slip and enhances skin feel in serums and facial oils without dramatically altering viscosity. In body oils and anhydrous balms, you can push it much higher, up to 30%, where it functions as the primary emollient base.

It suits:

Facial serums and face oils, lightweight, fast-absorbing, ideal carrier for actives
Lightweight body oils, spreads fast, no greasiness
Lip products, adds glide without stickiness
Lightweight lotions and emulsions, improves skin feel in the oil phase

If you’re making a natural face cream at home, coco-caprylate/caprate in the oil phase will noticeably improve the final skin feel without weighing the emulsion down.

Isoamyl Laurate: The Plant-Derived Skin-Feel Booster

Where it comes from and how it behaves on skin

Isoamyl laurate is an ester of isoamyl alcohol, often fermentation-derived, and lauric acid, a fatty acid naturally occurring in coconut and palm kernel oil. Like coco-caprylate/caprate, it is plant-derived and compatible with natural certification frameworks.

The key difference is in the quality of its slip. Isoamyl laurate delivers exceptional spreadability, the kind of smooth, effortless glide that makes it particularly valuable in colour cosmetics and SPF formulas. It is also a strong pigment-wetting agent, meaning it helps disperse mineral pigments and iron oxides evenly. That’s why you’ll find it in professional colour cosmetic and SPF formulations as a cyclomethicone or dimethicone alternative.

Compared to coco-caprylate/caprate, isoamyl laurate feels marginally more occlusive, not heavy, but with a touch more presence on the skin. It leaves a slightly satiny rather than dry finish. For face oils or serums where a completely dry-down effect is the goal, coco-caprylate/caprate wins. For products where you want lingering slip, foundations, tinted SPFs, hair serums, isoamyl laurate has the edge.

Where it shines in DIY formulas

Usage rates for isoamyl laurate typically fall between 2% and 20%. At lower concentrations it boosts spreadability; at higher concentrations in anhydrous systems it becomes a primary carrier.

It is particularly well-suited to:

Colour cosmetics, foundations, bronzers, eyeshadow binders, tinted balms
Sunscreen formulas, improves mineral filter dispersion and skin feel
Hair serums and leave-in treatments, imparts shine and slip without silicone buildup
Body lotions, adds spreadability

All three ingredients complement each other well and can be blended. In a formula where you want the dry finish of coco-caprylate/caprate plus the superior slip of isoamyl laurate, using them in combination, say, equal parts, gives you the best of both.

Side-by-Side: Choosing the Right Ingredient for Your Formula

Here’s a quick reference to help you decide:

Product Type	Reach for…
Facial serums and face oils	Coco‑caprylate/caprate
Lightweight body oils	Coco‑caprylate/caprate
Lip products	Octyldodecanol + Coco‑caprylate/caprate
Colour cosmetics (foundation, tinted SPF)	Isoamyl laurate / Octyldodecanol
Sunscreen formulas	Isoamyl laurate
Hair serums and leave‑in treatments	Isoamyl laurate
Body butters and balms	Octyldodecanol (structure) + esters (slip)
Emulsions needing improved skin feel	Blend of all three

When you’re not sure, a 50/50 blend is a sensible starting point. Test it in a small batch and adjust the ratio based on how the skin feel lands.

DIY Formulation Tips: Getting the Skin Feel Right

Octyldodecanol, coco-caprylate/caprate and isoamyl laurate all go into the oil phase of your formula. They behave like light liquid oils and are fully miscible with other carrier oils, waxes, and oil-soluble actives. They do not require heating to incorporate, though warming the oil phase (as you likely do already) causes no issues.

Swapping out a silicone? Start by replacing it weight-for-weight. If your existing recipe has 10% dimethicone, substitute 10% coco-caprylate/caprate or isoamyl laurate. Because plant-derived esters interact differently with other oil-phase ingredients than silicones do, the overall viscosity and skin feel may shift slightly, that’s normal. Use Octyldodecanol when you want more cushion or body in a formula that feels too thin with other esters alone. Small-batch testing (batches of 50–100g) lets you dial it in before scaling up.

Pigment work: In colour cosmetics, Octyldodecanol helps pigments disperse evenly and improves wear.

Blending for fine-tuned results. These esters pair exceptionally well with other carrier oils. Formulating with jojoba oil alongside coco-caprylate/caprate is a popular combination for lightweight facial serums, jojoba adds structure and skin-compatibility while the ester keeps the texture weightless. You can also try adding vitamin E to fine-tune skin feel and extend shelf stability at the same time, typically at 0.5–1%. A trio blend (coco‑caprylate/caprate + isoamyl laurate + Octyldodecanol) gives you a spectrum of skin feels — dry, silky, satiny, and cushioned — all plant‑derived.

For roller bottle blends, coco-caprylate/caprate is a natural fit, it keeps the blend thin enough to flow through a roller ball and absorbs quickly without leaving residue on the skin. See our roller bottle blends guide for worked examples.

If you’re newer to working with esters and emollients, our beginner’s guide to skincare formulation covers the principles that make these ingredient decisions easier.

One practical note: replace silicones on a like-for-like weight basis as your starting point, then adjust texture through small-batch testing. Plant-derived esters can shift the overall viscosity and skin feel of a formula in ways that vary depending on the other ingredients present. Don’t try to perfect the formula on paper. Mix a test batch, put it on your skin, and let the feel guide your next adjustment.

Both coco-caprylate/caprate and isoamyl laurate are stocked at DIY Naturally, so South African home formulators and small-batch makers can source both locally without importing. Browse the full range of carrier oils and cosmetic esters on the site, there’s plenty to explore for your next batch.

Disclaimer: All recipes and formulas are shared in good faith. DIY Naturally is not liable for any adverse reactions. Always perform a patch test before use, and substitute ingredients if you have known allergies. Use at your own discretion.