Blooming/Frosting

Blooming/Frosting... Whatever you call it, we all recognise it as the unattractive white stuff that can sometimes occur when using Cyanoacrylate adhesives.

The residue is a byproduct of the cure process of the adhesive. Once the monomer is in vapour form, it will react with moisture in the air or moisture on the skin/eyelashes, cure, and settle on the surface around the bond area.

There are several ways to prevent the blooming process such as sufficient ventilation over the application area, making sure the clients skin and eyelashes are free of moisture and making sure your work environment is suitable i.e correct temperatures and humidity. (see below)

Humidity: Cyanoacrylate adhesives 'polymerize' (set), they cure by the reaction between the humidity in the air and the humidity of the adherents. The higher the relative humidity is (e.g. in a room) the faster the product cures. Best atmospheric conditions for good, reliable bonds are between 40 to 70 % relative humidity. If humidity is too low (< 30%) setting time can become very slow; if humidity is too high (>80%) a so-called shock polymerization takes place. The latter provokes a certain shrinking process of the adhesive layer, which leads to less bond strength.

Temperature influences the time of the chemical reaction very much. Generally it can be said that a 10°C hike in temperature results in twice as fast polymerization time. This is equally valid for Cyanoacrylate adhesives. The optimal room temperature for curing of these adhesives is between 20 and 24°C.