Silicone essentially stands for stay away in cosmetic circles these days. We’re supposed to avoid products that contain them for hair, skin, and more. They're labeled as cheap, synthetic fillers that don't do any good at all, but this stance is almost always declared by brands that have sales to gain with their silicone-free products. But is this reputation deserved?
Naturally, I always take this with a grain of salt—if someone gets more cash in their pocket for saying that a specific ingredient is bad, I’m instantly more suspicious—and you should be too! Let’s look at the information we know about silicones critically together.
What is silicone and what does it do?
In skincare, silicones are made from silicon dioxide, a naturally occurring mineral. You can tell if an ingredient is a silicone if it ends in -cone, -conol or -siloxane. For example, some common ones that you may have likely encountered are dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, and dimethiconol.
So if there’s so much controversy surrounding them, they must serve some function if companies risk continuing to include them in ingredient lists. Let’s take a closer look:
1) Silicones make cosmetics (of all types) feel nice to use.
One of the reasons that silicones are used in skincare is to make a formula feel silky and smooth. They’re usually included to make formulas easily spreadable, such as moisturizers and serums. When it comes to makeup, they can temporarily fill in visible lines and pores so they’re usually included in primers. They also appear in hair serums and other hair care to really make your hair feel super suave and silky.
2) They’re hypoallergenic, non-reactive, and non-comedogenic
Silicones are approved by the FDA for use on skin. While that may not mean it’s totally harmless, it’s worth noting. True silicone allergies are also very rare because immune cells can’t interact with silicone directly, making them extremely safe to use on skin. Formulations of silicone alone are also non-comedogenic, meaning it won’t clog pores. This is why you tend to see it pop up more in products tailored for acne-prone skin, as they don’t leave behind a greasy feel or make you more vulnerable to breakouts.
3) They provide oil-free moisture and prevent water loss
While oils can have remarkable benefits for skin, many oil serums, while moisturizing, are pore clogging. A silicone-based gel moisturizer can also do the job just as well as an oil-based one, without the potential pimply byproducts. Some silicones act as occlusives, meaning they stop trans-epidermal water loss, aka they lock in water before it escapes the skin. Some silicones also have more emollient effects, filling in uneven spaces create a smooth, hydrated surface.
Debunking Silicone Myths
1) Silicones ‘suffocate’ the skin
Because silicones have some occlusive properties (as in, the type of moisturizer that traps water to the skin) there’s word on the street that silicone also traps acne-causing bacteria to the skin, causing breakouts. Firstly, the skin doesn't 'breathe.’ We have our lungs to do that for us. Secondly, while it is an occlusive, silicones form a barrier that still allow some air and water to pass through.
2) They don’t actually fix the issue, they put a bandaid over it
Because silicones are so good at smoothing over a lot of visible skin concerns, it's often a mistaken idea that they're just hiding the issue temporarily, and even potentially worsening it over time. The thing is, this is totally a myth. Yes, silicones are unique because they can instantly make skin or hair look better, but that doesn't mean they're not good for either of them! Silicones have unique emollient and occlusive properties that keep hydration in the skin—right where it needs to be.
3) Silicones are cheap filler ingredients
It's no secret that it's as easy as ordering pizza to find silicones for skincare and haircare formulation. However, it doesn't mean that they're just in the ingredients list to help pad it out. I once read a disgruntled review about a hair serum, claiming that it shouldn't have any silicone—only natural plant oils since silicone was obviously just a cheap filler to help widen the company's profit margins.
The fact is, some silicones actually have the power to reduce heat and environmental damage to hair. In other words, it had a perfectly justifiable reason for being included in the formula. This goes for skincare, too—as we already know.
4) Silicones are bad for the environment
Now, this is a tricky one. There are a few claims that silicone is bioaccumulative, meaning that it builds up over time and doesn’t break down in the environment. There’s an important distinction to be made, according to Michelle Wong, chemistry PhD and cosmetic specialist, “...Silicones aren’t biodegradable, but they are degradable – they degrade in the environment, and turn back into silica (sand), carbon dioxide and water.” Biodegradable means that it can be broken down by biological means, like bacteria. Degrade just means that it breaks down into smaller components of what it’s made of—in this case, the molecules that we’ve mentioned.
The fact of the matter is that if silicones were accumulative, there would be detectable buildup. But there isn’t, so we can make an educated guess that these silicones are breaking down and recycling themselves they should—not building up and damaging the environment!
5) Silicones prevent other ingredients from absorbing
This one kind of goes in hand with the myth that silicones suffocate the skin. But this claim is in regards to whether silicone prevents your skincare from being effective. According to this line of thinking, if you used a serum with silicones before using another product, the second product wouldn't be as effective because of the silicone molecules obstruct the path of the second product. But as far as occlusives go, silicone is pretty breathable. Additional skincare can definitely still pass through, with full ability to do its job.
All in all, there's really nothing to worry about when it comes to silicone in your skincare. This is mostly just the alarmist media buzzer sounding. Silicone is typically a helpful skincare ingredient that most skin types take very well to. So there's no need to do a huge skincare overhaul if you’ve noticed they’re already in your routine!
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