Recipe 11 : Latex vs Silicone! (and other prosthetic materials)
- Koji Ohmura
- Nov 4
- 9 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Many of you might have heard people say "Silicone is the best!!" And you look at the price... yes, it is very expensive. Don't worry. There are many other materials that you can try. In this article, I will explain the pros and cons of each prosthetic material.
The title says "Latex vs Silicone," but I will introduce 5 materials. They are Foam Latex, Silicone, Gelatin, Liquid Latex, and Bondo Transfer. These are only my personal opinions. You can try each material and decide which is your favorite.
These are links for how to make each prosthetic.
Bondo Transfer (Recipe is coming soon!)
Lecture Video
Which Movies & TV shows have these prosthetics?
Foam Latex
Nutty Professor - Foam latex has been used by many artists for years. I know that silicone is the trend, but foam latex is still in demand. Rick Baker's team did amazing work for Eddie Murphy's Nutty Professor, which earned them an Oscar in 1997. The transformation on camera by using balloons inside the foam latex chin was stunning. It was not CG!
Hellboy 1 & 2 - It is one of the iconic characters in the comic world. Mike Elizalde's Spectral Motion team used foam latex to create not only Hellboy himself but also Abe Sapien, Angel of Death, Wink, and others. I have seen the Angel of Death display at their office. This makeup always surprises me.
Jurassic Park - Although the current Jurassic World dinosaurs are mostly created by CG, the original three Jurassic Park movies contained many foam latex dinosaurs. My idol, Stan Winston, and his team created life-size T-Rex and other dinosaurs with animatronics covered with foam latex. My father took me to the theater for my birthday gift. This movie was the first foreign movie I watched in the theater. I normally watched Godzilla and Dragonball in the theater in my childhood. I still remember that I cried in the theater with joy and fear at the same time. It was extremely believable! The original Jurassic Park (1993) is my favorite movie. And, of course, his book is my SFX bible!
Silicone
The Butler - I was fortunate to work on this film when I was at Matthew W. Mungle's W.M. Creations. Not only did I do face casting for actors and mold making, but I was also able to sculpt Mr. Forest Whitaker's prosthetics for all his ages. We received a British Academy Award nomination for this movie.
Bad Grandpa - Who would thought that Jackass movie can receive Oscar nomination? This very funny documentary themed prank movie makeup was created by Stephen Prouty and Tony Gardner's team. Probably, this movie is the one to start the recent trend of silicone old age makeup for many comedy shows and music videos. Remember that Foo Fighter's Run?
Darkest Hour - When the trailer of this movie came out, many articles said, "We do not see Gary Oldman in this makeup!" Kazu Hiro was brought back from his retirement to do this fantastic makeup. The movement was great, coloring was flawless, and the heavy makeup did not bother Gary Oldman's acting at all. It was a masterpiece.
Gelatin
Albert Nobbs - Very minimal amount of makeup but also an effective one. Matthew W. Mungle's makeup on Glenn Close turned her into a lady who disguises herself as a man. Only gelatin earlobes, a silicone nose and a wig were used. It was very subtle. However, the transformation was beautifully done. I still remember that I went into the FX lab early in the morning (before everyone came in), and Matthew was already there sculpting the piece in his favorite Wicked musical mask room. This brought him an Oscar nomination.
Hillbilly Elegy - Another Glenn Close film with Matthew W. Mungle. Matthew is known as a specialist in gelatin prosthetics. This time, Glenn transformed into a grandma. Again, her acting in this film was very important, so her makeup was very minimal, with a gelatin ears and a silicone nose.
Malignant - This is one of the memorable movies I worked on. Most of the gore and creature prosthetics were created by Fracture Effects & Spectral Motion. I was asked to apply these silicone pieces on set, and I needed to create age makeup while I was there. It was a very short turnaround due to the schedule, so I used gelatin for adding a more aged look besides age stipple effects. Working all night on set, I then turned on a microwave for gelatin casting before going to bed.
Liquid Latex
Halloween Parties - Liquid latex is very affordable, but because of its stiffness, it tends to be avoided in the movie and TV filming world. You see these pieces at Halloween stores normally. The only time I see liquid latex prosthetics in this industry is when bald cap makeup is needed or for some Nurnies (zombie flesh). Oh I made a bunch of Nurnies on Unearthed! And Rick Baker used it on American Werewolf in London for Jack's undead neck tissues.
Bondo Transfer
The Passion of The Christ - Bondo pieces have been used for many years, even before this film. However, Christian Tinsley's team created a new technique called "Bondo Transfer." It was similar to tattoo transfers and used water to transfer the Bondo prosthetics to the skin. Bondo is normally made out of Pros-Aide and Cabo Sil. Some artists prefer to thicken Pros-Aide by using a whipper slowly and dehumidifying it. Since it is made out of medical glue, the application time is extremely fast and cuts down the time to sit in a makeup chair.
CSI - Who are you? Ooh wa ooh wa! Who are you? Ooh wa ooh wa! Remember the song? It was very iconic and catchy. CSI started the trend of crime shows and "ECU," Extreme Close-Up, of dead bodies and murder weapons. I was lucky enough to work on the show from 2006 until the recent reboot ended in 2024. Since the show was full of prosthetics in every episode with a super short turnaround, we needed to create special effects as quickly as possible. W.M. Creations' Bondo pieces were very useful since these were encapsulated with an alcohol-based sealer and were less sticky after they dried. I still make them for other shows, and the application time is less than 2 minutes! Click here for the application video.
NCIS - Bondo Transfer has been used for this long-running TV show, NCIS. W. M. Creations had created prosthetics and dummy bodies until they closed their shop in 2017. Bondo pieces were used for creating stitches, cuts, and bullet wounds. CSI, NCIS, NCIS LA, Hawaii Five-0, Major Crimes, Bosch, Criminal Minds, The Mentalist... I can name many crime scene shows for which W.M. Creations made Bondo pieces.
Just stick them on a skin and add some blood!
Pros & Cons : Weight
We went over shows and films. Now, let's dive into pros and cons. The weight is important since you do not want your actor to have neck pain after the makeup removal!
Very Light | Heavy like water | Heavier | Light Weight | It depends on size |
As you see in the list above, foam latex and liquid latex are both very light. Bondo is also light if it is a small piece. With silicone and gelatin, you do not want a big piece. They get extremely heavy. Have you seen silicone mermaid fins? They are super heavy when they are not in water.
Pros & Cons : Color
Opaque | Translucent | Translucent | Opaque | Translucent |
When silicone came to the makeup industry, coloring became so much easier. Since it is translucent, you can tint it into a skin color and add flocking. This will create more depth in the color, especially when strong lights hit the prosthetics. However, if you know how to paint PAX and add color in multiple layers on latex, it will not be an issue. Also, some characters tend to look better in opaque materials, such as creatures, earthy characters, and dark-skinned ethnicities. Look at the creatures from Prometheus; the Engineer was covered in silicone prosthetics, whereas Xenomorphs in Alien movies are mostly foam latex.
Pros & Cons : Smell
Smells like sulfur | No Smell | Gelatin smell (not like jell-o) | Latex smell | No smell |
For the smell category, Silicone and Bondo Transfer are the winners since they do not have smells. Foam latex has the strongest smell, mostly coming from sulfur. If you wash it really well, the odor will reduce. Washing it will also help prevent it from getting harder over time. It will stop the curing effects by washing.
Pros & Cons : Allergy
Latex Allergy | Platinum Silicone is mostly safe if it cured completely. | Safe | Latex Allergy | Safe |
This category is very important. When I start makeup on my talents, I always ask them if they have any allergies. If they have a latex allergy or sensitive skin, I avoid using Foam Latex and Liquid Latex. On the other hand, Silicone, Gelatin, and Bondo Transfer are very safe to use. Make sure that silicone is "platinum cure," not "tin cure," and completely cured. Half-cured (Still sticky one) silicone is not safe. Also, if they have sensitive skin, try to avoid using too much acetone to melt edges. Gelatin is the safest in my opinion.
Pros & Cons : Sweat
Skin can breathe & sweat soaks in the prosthetics. | Skin can not breathe. Sweat bubbles appear later. (Like fish eggs.) Waterfall after many hours. | It starts melting when the actor sweats. | Skin can breathe if it is hollow inside. | Bondo well. |
I also ask my actor if they sweat a lot before applying makeup. If they are sweaty people, I avoid gelatin and silicone. Gelatin on sweaty skin is a nightmare. It melts! Once it starts melting, there is no coming back. Silicone also prevents the skin from breathing. It is very uncomfortable when the room is hot. The skin will try to find a way to sweat. Once it finds an air pocket, sweat will start pushing the prosthetic from the skin. You will see fish egg-looking bubbles. Then, a waterfall will start from the edge. So you need to pop the bubbles with pins before the waterfall begins. So, AC is very important! Foam latex is the winner in this category.
Pros & Cons : Can I Swim?
No. Foam Latex sucks up water and gets extremely heavy. | Yes | No. It melts in water. | Yes. Make sure to glue & seal well. | Yes... more than likely. It might get tacky after it gets wet. |
How could a Foam Latex Godzilla suit be in water? Well, it was a special suit only for water scenes. Technically, swimming with Foam Latex is impossible. Foam Latex will suck up water and get extremely heavy. At Monsterpalooza years ago, Haruo Nakajima said that he could not breathe underwater and panicked. Crew members thought it was part of the acting. So if you want to swim with prosthetics, choose Silicone, Liquid Latex, or Bondo Transfer. (Bondo will be sticky after it gets wet, though.)
Pros & Cons : Cost
(These numbers are from Frends Beauty Supply in North Hollywood in 2025)
$42/qt kit | $110/qt kit | $18/16 oz ($36/32 oz) | $52/qt (32 oz) | $95/qt (32 oz) (Pros Aide) |
If you are thinking of making a big prosthetic, Foam Latex is the cheapest. Foam Latex becomes 4-6 times bigger. It is about $8 per quart of Foam Latex. Silicone is the most expensive one. Bondo is expensive as well, but Bondo Transfer is hard to make in a big size anyway.
Verdict (Makeup Character)
Monsters/Aliens | Old Age | Burnt Makeup | Low budget films | Injuries |
Old Age | Injury | Any Makeup in good weather | Bald Caps | Blenders |
Over Weight |
So, what material is the winner? Well, the answer is "it depends." As you see in the lists above, each material has pros and cons.
Foam latex is very good for big prosthetics and works well in hot weather.
Silicone is great for movement and looks; however, it is tough on the skin due to sweating issues and high maintenance.
Gelatin is great for burnt makeup since it can look melted. If you do not have a high budget,
Liquid Latex works amazingly. It can also be used for bald caps. Foam latex and silicone bald caps are very expensive to make.
Bondo transfer is very good for small pieces and easy to apply. The application time for Bondo Transfer is the shortest. I also use it for blending edges.
You can take a look at these lists and decide what you like. Please let me know your decision and your experience in the comments. Thank you so much for reading!!
Click for each material class.
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