Foam Latex vs. Kryolan Cold Foam

Important Notes: Before you order, please make sure you know the difference between these two families of foam.

Foam Latex is used for prosthetic pieces that are glued to the skin. Don't confuse this type of latex with Halloween mask making latex or slip latex. In order to successfully use foam latex you will need the following equipment; Mixmaster, gram scale, oven dedicated for foam work. Foam latex is more complex than other materials and should be considered an advanced technique. The payoff is a very flexible, light-weight material that is wonderful to act in. Pieces can only be used once and then are thrown away. Because foam latex is baked it is often called "Hot Foam".

Cold Foam is called cold foam because it is not baked. It is not latex, but is polyurethane. To successfully mix it you will need a gram scale. The Kryolan brand cold foam is safe to use on the skin only after it has fully cured. Because it is polyurethane, it is what you would call, "Quick and Dirty." but it is not dirty unless you consider the hard chemicals used to make it. It is great for filling props and for quick prosthetics when you are out of time, but lacks the flexibility of foam latex. If you are not using it for prosthetics, such as a mask project or to make a prop you can save money by using a normal polyurethane foam, which SES also sells. The mold release in the Kryolan kit can not be shipped by air.

Which should you use?

Use cold foam for "Quick and Dirty" applications. Use cold foam for prosthetics that don't need to be flexable such as horns, forehead pieces, noses, chins, etc.. If you need to "talk" through the prosthetic then use foamed latexc. Cold foam is quick and easy to use, but not as flexible as the hot foam.

Use hot foam for more serious applications. Hot foam was used in the "Grinch" movie and "Mrs. Doubtfire." It looks very good on the screen, but not in real life. If you need ultra-realistic applicances use appliance gelatin. Don't forget hot foam is much more complex to make.

Go to our Prosthetic pages.

This page originally posted: 10/05/2004
This page last updated: 03/23/2008