The invention relates to water-in-oil (W/O) or oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions containing: an oil phase (phase A) containing at least one extensively water-insoluble constituent; a water phase (phase B) that can optionally contain other water-insoluble constituents such as salts or organic compounds such as alcohols, carboxylic acids or other compounds; pyrogenous silicic acid which is located on the oil-water interface and is partially silylated such that the non-silylated surface silane oil groups on the silicon dioxide surface displace between a maximum of 95 % and a minimum of 5 % of the starting silicon dioxide, that is the equivalent of 1.7 to 0.1 SiOH groups per nm<2> of silicic acid surface, the dispersion part of the surface energy gamma-s-D 30 amounts to 80 mJ/m<2>, and the specific BET surface has a value of between 30 and 500 m<2>/g; and optionally other substances, such as pigments or preservatives. The inventive emulsions have a mean particle size of the dispersed phase, i.e. a mean drop diameter, of between 0,5 mu m and 500 mu m, and are of low viscosity.