DIMETHICONOL

📋 Quick facts

Description: DIMETHICONOL — silicone, smoothing, adds shine.

All Functions: silicone, smoothing, adds shine

Quick Facts:

• Category: emollient

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Dimethiconol is a silicone used in skincare and haircare products as a conditioning agent
• Safety experts concluded it’s safe for cosmetic use at current concentrations
• The ingredient is not believed to absorb through the skin
• Limited research exists on some toxicity measures, but experts reasoned this doesn’t pose a concern

⚗️ Chemical Overview

Dimethylsilanediol is an organosilanediol.

Source(s): ChEBI, via PubChem

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ 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

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Dimethiconol is a silicone-based ingredient—basically a long chain of silicon and oxygen atoms with methyl groups attached—that manufacturers add to cosmetics to condition skin and hair. When the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel evaluated dimethiconol and related compounds (its esters and reaction products) in 2017, they determined these ingredients are safe for use in cosmetics as currently formulated (Int J Toxicol, 2017). The Panel’s reasoning centered on one key point: #1: dimethiconol is not absorbed through the skin (Int J Toxicol, 2017). This matters because if a substance doesn’t penetrate the skin barrier, it’s unlikely to cause internal harm—meaning potential concerns about reproductive toxicity, developmental toxicity, or cancer become less relevant.

The Panel did acknowledge gaps in the research: some data on reproductive and developmental toxicity, tumorigenicity, and how the body processes the ingredient (toxicokinetics) were either absent or limited (Int J Toxicol, 2017). However, they reasoned that the non-absorption property addressed these data gaps adequately enough to support a safety conclusion. In other words, the experts didn’t see these missing studies as deal-breakers because of their understanding of how dimethiconol behaves on skin.

📄 Related Research

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

• Johnson W Jr et al. (2017). Safety Assessment of Dimethiconol and Its Esters and Reaction Products as Used in Cosmetics. Int J Toxicol.

🧴 Products Containing DIMETHICONOL

• Nivea stress protect
• Nivea Perles de Q10 sérum concentré
• Nivea Hairmilk 7 Plus
• Henkel, Syoss Repair gezielte Reparatur 02 Spülung
• H&S Champú
• Procter & gamble as Head&Shoulders Shampoo Classic Clean 400ml
• unilever, dove DOVE Crème Hydratante Corps Soie Pot 300ml
• CREAM SILK
• Heads and shoulders Smooth and silky heads and shoulders anti dandruff shampoo
• UNILEVER NORGE AS Tresemme Shampoo Color Revitalise 500ml
• Calypso facial protection
• Henkel, Syoss Repair Therapy Conditioner
• Fragonard Crème antirides pour le visage Vrai
• Unilever, Rexona, For Men, Rexona Men REXONA MEN Déodorant Homme Spray Anti-Transpirant Compressé Maximum Protection Intense Sport 100ml
• Poland apis
• Unilever, Rexona Rexona Déodorant Aérosol Compressé Femme Anti-Transpirant Maximum Protection 96H Clean Scent 100ml
• Orkla Sunsilk minerals Coconut Care
• Palmolive Optims
• primer amino keratina loquay
• Funk Crema para peinar
• Sedal,Unilever Aloe Vera & Menta
• Henkel, Schwarzkopf Gliss Kur Hair Repair
• Bagovit Emulsión hidratante revitalizante, efecto luminoso
• Henkel, Ballerina Jabón Líquido Crema Humectante
• Linic shampoo
• Monsavon Monsavon Déodorant Femme Spray Compressé Fleur de Lotus Presque Divine 100ml
• Monsavon Monsavon Déodorant Femme Spray Compressé Grenade Tellement Fraîche 100ml
• Dove dove
• Head & Shoulders Apple Fresh
• Procter & Gamble Head and Shoulders
• PROCTER & GAMBLE NORGE AS Head & Shoulder Shampoo Supreme Repair 225ml
• head & shoulders OXYGENATED CHARCOAL DETOX
• Hair biology purple shampoo
• Shampoo
• head & shoulders Intense hydration
• PROCTER & GAMBLE NORGE AS Head&Shoulder Shampoo Deep Hydration Coconut 250ml
• Unilever, Dove Shampoo ritual de crecimiento
• queen queen
• Les Cosmétiques Design Paris, Nectar of Beauty Huile capillaire gainante à l’huile d’avocat et au beurre de karité
• Nivea Nivea q10 plus anti rides