Dimethicone

📋 Quick facts

Description: Dimethicone — occlusive, smoothing.

All Functions: occlusive, smoothing

Quick Facts:

• Category: emollient
• Also Known As: dimeticona
• Comedogenic Rating: 0/5

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Dimethicone is a silicone-based ingredient used in cosmetics as a conditioning agent, typically at concentrations of 15% or less
• Studies show dimethicone is not absorbed through the skin or after oral exposure
• It’s classified as a minimal to mild irritant in most dermal and eye irritation tests
• Dimethicone did not cause allergic sensitization in multiple animal and human patch tests
• It’s been studied as a non-pesticide treatment for head lice in children with positive safety results

📊 Comedogenicity

0/5

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

Derived from this ingredient’s irritancy potential and comedogenicity rating against the needs of each skin type — e.g. oily and acne-prone skin are marked down for pore-clogging ingredients, sensitive skin for irritants. A starting heuristic, not a dermatological verdict.

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Dimethicone is a fluid made of silicone-based polymers—long chains of silicon and oxygen atoms—that function as conditioning agents in skincare formulations. Understanding how it behaves in and on the body is important for safety assessment. #1: Absorption and systemic exposure are minimal. According to the Int J Toxicol review, dimethicone was not absorbed following oral or dermal (skin) exposure in clinical and animal studies. The CIR Expert Panel reasoned this makes sense because dimethicone molecules are too large to penetrate the skin barrier effectively. This means the ingredient stays on the surface rather than entering the bloodstream. #2: Irritation and sensitization are low at typical use levels.

Most dermal irritation studies using rabbits classified dimethicone as a minimal irritant (Int J Toxicol). In eye irritation studies, it was classified as mild to minimal. Critically, dimethicone tested undiluted and at concentrations up to 79% did not cause allergic sensitization in four animal assays or in a human patch test on 83 panelists at 5% concentration (Int J Toxicol). #3: Acute toxicity is not observed at cosmetic-use concentrations. Dimethicone was not acutely toxic following oral exposure, and both mice and rats tolerated up to 10% dimethicone dosing for 90 days without adverse effects (Int J Toxicol). Rabbits showed no adverse reactions to short-term dermal application of dimethicone ranging from 6% to 79% (Int J Toxicol).

#4: Head lice treatment shows efficacy and safety in children. A pediatric study (BMC Pediatr, 2015) of 100% dimethicone gel in children ages 3–12 found that 98.3% were free of live lice after 1 day, with 96.5% remaining lice-free at day 14. Only one adverse event of brief skin irritation (lasting 10 minutes) was reported. A separate in vitro study (Parasitol Res, 2021) found a dimethicone-based formula achieved 100% mortality of head lice and eggs after 2–5 minutes of contact and was well tolerated in children with atopic (sensitive) skin from 12 months of age. #5: Genotoxicity and carcinogenicity are not observed.

Dimethicone was negative in all genotoxicity assays and in both oral and dermal carcinogenicity studies in mice (Int J Toxicol). Limitations: The sources do not provide sufficient evidence regarding effects on general skin conditions like dryness or appearance beyond head lice and one pilot study in dogs (Vet Med Int, 2013) that found no significant effect on atopic dermatitis. The research is also primarily focused on safety and efficacy for specific medical uses rather than cosmetic benefits in general skincare.

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Nair B et al. (2003). Final report on the safety assessment of stearoxy dimethicone, dimethicone, methicone, amino bispropyl dimethicone, aminopropyl dimethicone, amodimethicone, amodimethicone hydroxystearate, behenoxy dimethicone, C24-28 alkyl methicone, C30-45 alkyl methicone, C30-45 alkyl dimethicone, cetearyl methicone, cetyl dimethicone, dimethoxysilyl ethylenediaminopropyl dimethicone, hexyl methicone, hydroxypropyldimethicone, stearamidopropyl dimethicone, stearyl dimethicone, stearyl methicone, and vinyldimethicone. Int J Toxicol.
• Martínez de Murguía Fernández L et al. (2021). Effectiveness and tolerability of a squalane and dimethicone-based treatment for head lice. Parasitol Res.
• Ihde ES et al. (2015). Safety and efficacy of a 100% dimethicone pediculocide in school-age children. BMC Pediatr.
• Santana YRT et al. (2023). The Effectiveness of Topical Dimethicone Together with a One Health Approach for the Control of Tungiasis in the Sanumás Communities, Yanomami Territory, Amazon Rainforest: A Real-World Study. Trop Med Infect Dis.
• Pellicoro C et al. (2013). Pilot study to evaluate the effect of topical dimethicone on clinical signs and skin barrier function in dogs with naturally occurring atopic dermatitis. Vet Med Int.

🧴 Products Containing Dimethicone

• Nivea Body lotion
• atrix
• Nivea cool kick
• Nivea Nivea Intensive Moisture Body Milk 5-in-1 Complete Care (or Nivea Nourishing Body Milk)
• Nivea Nivea q10 plus anti rides
• Nivea stress protect
• nivea nivea cream
• Nivea Soft
• Nivea Body Beruhigende After Shave Creme for women, Mit Panthenol
• Nivea, Nivea Men NIVEA Men Hyaluron Anti-age Gezichtscrème
• Nivea Q10 Plus Soin de jour FPS 15
• BRYNILD GRUPPEN AS Nivea Men Body & Face Cream 150ml
• zie
• Nivea Sun kids Lait protecteur Protect & Sensitive
• Nivea NIVEA CREME DARK SPOT REDUCTION
• BRYNILD GRUPPEN AS Nivea Night Care Cellular 50ml
• Nivea Baby sun Crème solaire très haute protection FPS 50+
• Nivea Creme
• Nivea crème solaire visage nivea
• Nivea Sun Kids Lait Protecteur Format Voyage
• Nivea body lotion
• Nivea Hairmilk 7 Plus
• Palmers
• Nivea Soft milk
• Nivea nivea bronze efect
• Blistex Blistex Lippenpflege Lip Infusions Hydration
• Balea, Balea professional Glossy blond Spülung, naturblondes und blondiertes Haar
• dm sun dance 30 transparentes sonnenspray
• Sun dance, Sundance Sonnen light Lotion mit Kokosduft 20 mittel
• unilever, dove DermaSpa Nutri Essence³
• CONAXESS TRADE NORGE AS Brillance Hårfarge 872 Intense Red
• Henkel, Göt2b got2b kleber spiking wax
• Henkel, Schauma, Schwarzkopf & Henkel Himmlisch Lang, Langhaar Shampoo
• Henkel, Syoss Repair gezielte Reparatur 02 Spülung
• Henkel, Schauma Repair & Pflege Shampoo mit Kokos-Extrakt
• H&S Champú
• Always, Procter & Gamble Night Always sensitive
• AgeDefy, P&G, Pantène, Pantène Pro-V, Pantène Pro-V Expert, Pantène Pro-V Expert Collection, Procter & Gamble AgeDefy Shampooing
• AgeDefy, P&G, Pantène, Pantène Pro-V, Pantène Pro-V Expert Collection, Pantène Pro-V expert, Procter & Gamble AgeDefy soin après-shampoing
• Eucerin pH5