SILICONES

📋 Quick facts

Quick Facts:

• Category: other
• Also Known As: Silicone

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Silicones have been used in medicines and cosmetics for over 60 years and are considered safe
• About 60% of today’s skincare products contain some type of silicone
• They create a silky, non-greasy, non-staining feel on skin
• Silicones are not biodegradable and can accumulate in the environment
• They’re made from sand but are synthetic compounds

⚗️ Chemical Overview

Silicon powder, amorphous appears as a dark brown powder. Insoluble in water and denser than water. Burns readily when exposed to heat or flames, and may be difficult to extinguish. Water may not be effective in extinguishing flames. Used to make computer microchips. Silicon atom is a metalloid atom, a nonmetal atom and a carbon group element atom. Silicon is under investigation in clinical trial NCT00103246 (Photodynamic Therapy Using Silicon Phthalocyanine 4 in Treating Patients With Actinic Keratosis, Bowen’s Disease, Skin Cancer, or Stage I or Stage II Mycosis Fungoides).

Source(s): DrugBank, CAMEO Chemicals, 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

Silicones are a family of hybrid inorganic-organic polymers—think of them as long chains of repeating chemical units. The most common type used in skincare is polydimethylsiloxane (Materials (Basel), 2025). Here’s what the research actually shows about how they work and what concerns exist:

#1: Feel and texture. Silicones provide what researchers call “undeniable textural and sensory benefits” (Int J Pharm, 2022). Specifically, they deliver a “silky-touch, non-greasy, and non-staining feel” (Int J Pharm Compd, 2015). This comes from their low surface tension and low-chemical reactivity (Int J Pharm Compd, 2015). #2: Safety track record. Silicones are considered safe in skincare products, which is supported by their biocompatibility and widespread use—about 60% of skincare products now contain silicones (Int J Pharm Compd, 2015).

Their safety is partly due to low-chemical reactivity, low surface energy, and hydrophobicity (Int J Pharm Compd, 2015). They’ve been used in life-saving medical devices like pacemakers and shunts for decades (Int J Pharm Compd, 2015). #3: How they function in formulations. Beyond feel, silicones can “play important functions in the physicochemical properties, stability and biopharmaceutical behavior” of topical formulations (Int J Pharm, 2022). Silicones work as both active ingredients and excipients (inactive ingredients that help formulations work) (Int J Pharm Compd, 2015). #4: Environmental and biodegradability concerns. This is where the sources raise caution. Silicones are synthetic compounds derived from sand but “are not biodegradable” (Int J Pharm, 2022).

They “flow into our wastewater and oceans, accumulating in the fauna and flora,” which raises environmental concerns (Int J Pharm, 2022). The research notes these are real concerns that “obviously raise many concerns in the common imagination” (Int J Pharm, 2022). #5: Potential buildup issues. In hair care specifically, water-insoluble silicones can accumulate on the hair shaft and may require stronger surfactants (cleansing agents) for removal, potentially causing dryness (Skin Appendage Disord, 2025). Newer formulations called fourth-generation silicones and water-dispersible systems aim to address this (Skin Appendage Disord, 2025). #6: Toxicity questions remain open. While the sources confirm silicones have good safety records in medical use, one review explicitly states that questions about “long term toxic effects” and environmental risks “raise many concerns” and need further exploration (Int J Pharm, 2022).

The research doesn’t provide definitive answers to these longer-term questions—it identifies them as areas requiring more study.

📄 Related Research

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

• Allen LV Jr (2015). Compounding with Silicones. Int J Pharm Compd.
• Aliyar H et al. (2015). Recent developments in silicones for topical and transdermal drug delivery. Ther Deliv.
• Sounouvou HT et al. (2022). Silicones in dermatological topical drug formulation: Overview and advances. Int J Pharm.
• Chruściel JJ (2025). Most Important Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Applications of Silicones. Materials (Basel).
• Carvalho RM et al. (2025). With or without Silicones? A Comprehensive Review of Their Role in Hair Care. Skin Appendage Disord.

🧴 Products Containing SILICONES

• Caudalie CAUDALIE ARIS Thé des Vignes Gel Douche Haute tolé
• Herbal Essence Grapefruit Volume Shampoo
• dessert essence Bulgarian lavender hand and body lotion
• MONDAY Original Dry Shampoo
• dr organic organic Aloa Vera Conditioner
• Reinigungsschaum
• Bodylab 24 Süßlupinen Mehl
• J.R. Watkins Hand Cream
• Farcom mea nature Farcom mea nature