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Ever had a painful Band-Aid that didn’t want to unstick? What about one that fell off too soon, leaving your wound exposed?
Choosing the right skin adhesive is key to reducing user discomfort.
Most wearables use either acrylic or silicone adhesives, which vary in cost and performance.
Strouse is a contract manufacturer for wearable adhesives, with experience sourcing tapes for cosmetic and medical uses. By the end of this article, you'll know when to choose acrylic or silicone skin adhesives.
Determining Factors for Stick-to-Skin Adhesives
First, review the factors that determine which adhesive you should choose.
1. BONDING STRENGTH REQUIREMENTS
You must know your required bonding strength to choose the right skin adhesive. If it's too weak, the part falls off. If it's too strong, it may take the skin with it!
2. INTENDED WEAR TIME
Intended wear time will help you anticipate whether an adhesive must ensure motion, water, and other long-term use factors.
Additional Resource: Comparing Temporary vs. Extended Wear Skin Adhesives
3. APPLICATION SITE
Trying to place a bandage in the juncture between your fingers can be… humbling. That’s why certain adhesives are flexible and better for moving body parts.
4. PATIENT ACTIVITY
A marathon runner is going to see a very different day-to-day than your grandmother, so you have to determine who your primary patient is. If the patient is always immobile, it presents a very different problem than someone who is extremely active. Additionally, some adhesives bond slowly, which is a problem in busy clinics.
5. CLEANLINESS REQUIREMENTS
Most stick-to-skin products are made in Clean Rooms to limit particle exposure, but this isn’t a firm requirement. When the application switches to a hospital or a surgical ward application, the requirements for cleanliness necessarily go up. This is where having our ISO 7 Clean Room comes into play. It is important to determine what level of cleanliness you need before you get into production.
With those determining factors in mind, let’s examine both materials and weigh their respective advantages and disadvantages before you make your final pick.
Silicone vs. Acrylic Adhesive for Skin
| MATERIAL | SILICONE | ACRYLIC |
|---|---|---|
| PROS | - A gentler adhesive that peels off with a clean removal - Flexible, breathable, and often repositionable - Typically has a lower adhesive strength |
- Cheaper cost - Generally long-lasting and durable - Its stronger adhesive properties support heavier tubes and devices |
| CONS | - May not be strong enough to support heavy tubing - More expensive than acrylic or rubber |
- Unmodified adhesive acrylic may cause skin trauma upon removal - Repositioning is more challenging |
WHEN SHOULD I USE SILICONE SKIN TAPE?
- Lightweight stick-to-skin bonding applications
- Repositionable and short-term applications (with the exception of specialized long-term silicone medical adhesives)
- On specific diabetic, pediatric, geriatric, and cancer patients who are at a greater risk of skin tears
You’ve probably heard the phrase “ripping off the bandage,” but removing a bandage is less likely to hurt if it involves silicone tape.
Silicone is a gentle adhesive that removes cleanly and doesn't pull skin or hair, if you pick the right bonding strength. It is flexible and breathable, allowing medical staff to check wounds without needing to change all bandages.
Yet, there are drawbacks to using a silicone adhesive for skin. For one, its bond may not be strong enough to support critical tubing. Additionally, cost is a major consideration—skin adhesive silicone is generally more expensive than acrylic or rubber. Despite this, if silicone aligns with your needs, its advantages may outweigh the cost.
WHEN SHOULD I USE ACRYLIC SKIN TAPE?
- Heavier stick-to-skin applications (carrying medical wearable devices and monitors)
- Long-term applications that require durability
Acrylic is commonly used in medical devices because it is less expensive and very durable. Acrylic tape is tough and tacky, securely fixing devices to the skin in the right position for extended periods. Its powerful adhesive properties can support heavier tubes and devices for extended periods.
Skin adhesive acrylics can also be used on top of suturing wounds to reduce infection or scarring and as pressure-sensitive adhesives in bandages or disposable products.
Many manufacturers use modified acrylic, which is cheaper than silicone and gentler than standard acrylic. Unmodified acrylic is significantly tougher than silicone and can cause skin irritation and medical adhesive-related skin injuries (MARSI) upon removal.
Repositioning acrylic can be downright painful, meaning you must be far more careful about its initial application.
IS ACRYLIC OR SILICONE SKIN ADHESIVE RIGHT FOR MY APPLICATION?
By this point, you’ve read about both types of skin adhesive and might be wavering between the two. The simplest answer? It depends on your application.
Sometimes, you may need a short-term silicone adhesive that is gentler on the skin. At other times, you may need a stronger medical acrylic to secure glucose monitors and other wearable devices. Often, the answer is a combination of both—double-sided tape with acrylic on one side and silicone on the other, bonding a device to the skin.
Finding Skin Adhesive Silicone or Acrylic Tape
If you’re simply looking for rolls of adhesive tape, your best bet is to look into a supplier such as Solventum. Yet, if you’re hoping to turn your material into a skin adhesive design, then it’s probably the right time to reach out to a converter.
Flexible material converters turn designs into production-ready components.
If you’re interested in building a custom design made from skin adhesive materials, request a quote today.
Strouse has been building medical applications for over 37 years, and our team has the advanced tools and resources to build your adhesive design at a high quality.
See our Learning Center for more information on skin adhesives.
Originally published: October 4, 2022
