Silicone…The Gift That Keeps Giving

Silicone is a synthetic elastomer that is created by combining silicon, carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen.

In the past few years, companies all over the world have been growing their silicone product lines. But, why the rise in popularity?

SweeTooth Infant Healthcare Teether Extreme Molding

Popularity of Silicone Rings

One of the most popular silicone products in the United States over the past few years has been the silicone ring. This is a popular alternative for wearing an expensive ring while exercising, doing the dishes, manual labor, etc. The silicone ring market has grown significantly, now offering a wide variety of unique shapes, colors, and designs. The silicone rings are food-grade compliant and feel more comfortable than most normal rings. Their durable nature and easy to wash material make them a sought-after product in the market for many Americans.

Why Are Companies Switching to Silicone Products?

Durability and being easy to clean are just two of the reasons that most product-based companies are eagerly making the switch from less advantageous materials to using silicone in their products. Let’s take a look at some of these reasons more in depth.

Durable

One of the main reasons companies are making the switch to silicone products is because of the material’s durability. Silicone is resistant to both extreme hot and cold temperatures, resists stains, and can be sterilized and autoclaved. With these durable features, silicone will not break down, making it the ideal material to be re-used for many years.

Safe

Silicone is non-toxic and non-reactive with other liquids, which makes silicone products safe for direct contact with food and drink. Silicone is also hypo allergenic, making it safe for direct contact with the body and skin. Silicone is also safe to recycle with no risk of hazardous toxins being released as there are no estrogen mimicking toxins (BPA) present in the material.

Easy to Clean

Silicone’s flexibility and non-stick rubbery surface mixed with its water and temperature resistance, make it an easy to clean material. Therefore, many industries, including kitchen ware, infant care, female car, and the medical industry, use silicone in their products.

Sustainable

Silicone is a highly durable material which makes it difficult to biodegrade or decompose. This is just one of the advantages it has over plastic. Normal plastic materials are likely to break down into microplastic pieces over time, which can pollute our oceans and be harmful to wildlife. Silicone, however, doesn’t break down as much making it harder to be ingested by wildlife. Without decomposition, any materials that end up in our ecosystem, can be retrieved and be recycled.

Silicone Stretching to a Wide Variety of Markets

Over time companies have noticed the advantages of creating silicone products, leading the material to stretch to a wide variety of markets. These are just a few of the popular markets where silicone products have become extremely popular.

Infant Care

Silicone products are highly popular within the infant care market. Silicone’s safe, durable, and easy to clean material make it the ideal material when creating a product that will come into close contact with an infant’s skin and mouth. Examples of these products are infant utensils, teethers, toys, and toothbrushes.

Female Care

Another industry that uses silicone is the female care market. There are many tools and accessories on the market now for assisting women with breastfeeding that are made of silicone. The hypoallergenic nature of silicone makes it an ideal material for close skin contact without any irritation.

Cooking Tools

Silicone products resistance to extreme cold or hot temperatures makes it the ideal material for cooking tools and kitchen ware. Silicone can be easily cleaned, heated up in the microwave, thrown in the dishwasher, and even frozen. It also wicks away moisture, making it a great material for products that are used to keep food fresher for longer.

Cleaning Tools

Cleaning tools are another industry that has many silicone products. Being easy to clean, non-porous, and resistant to extreme temperatures, makes silicone an easy option for creating cleaning tools like gloves, brushes, or sponges.

Beauty and Skincare

Silicone products are extremely popular within the beauty and skincare industry. Some of the industry’s popular products include makeup brushes, exfoliators, and brush cleaners. This industry relies on silicone because of it’s easy to clean surface and hypoallergenic nature.

Organization

Silicone products are also great for organization. The non-slip surface keeps things from sliding and its flexibility allows you to fit more in one space. The market is filled with uniquely designed trays and holders for a variety of things such as tools, beauty items, and dishes or utensils.

Without decomposition, any materials that end up in our ecosystem, can be retrieved and be recycled.

Have an Idea for a New Silicone Product?

If you are looking for a more durable, easy to clean, hypoallergenic, or sustainable product solution… look no further than Silicone. It is the perfect material application for most consumer and medical industries. If you have an idea for a new silicone product, contact the Extreme Molding team today!

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