Silicones EN

all articles

Silicones are everywhere!

Silicones in Cosmetics: The Silent Killer of Your Skin, Hair, and the Planet in 2025

For more than half a century, silicones have become a firmly established part of cosmetic formulas, giving smoothness and texture to countless products at a low cost. But everything has a price. Silicones in cosmetics are a silent killer of your health and the planet. Up to 99% of conventional cosmetics - creams, serums, shower gels, shampoos, masks, cleansers, and even “natural” lines - contain silicones. This is no longer just a “safe additive”; it is a proven slow-acting poison you apply to your skin and hair every single day.

All synthetic cosmetics - without exception - are built on silicones

To make you instantly love the effect of a cosmetic product, silicones are always added. Check any cream, shampoo, mask, serum, or cleansing oil from mass-market or luxury brands - you will find at least one of the following INCI names:

Dimethicone - the main silicone oil that forms a film on the skin.
Cyclotetrasiloxane (D4)
Cyclopentasiloxane (D5) - found in 70% of waterproof products.
Cyclomethicone - volatile silicone for fast textures.
Amodimethicone - hair conditioner, accumulates on the cuticle.
Dimethiconol - silicone alcohol disguised as a “moisturizer”.
Trimethylsiloxysilicate - silicate polymer, common in foundations, doesn’t end in “-cone”.
Polypropylsilsesquioxane - branched silicone used in powders and serums.
Phenyl Trimethicone - phenyl silicone for shine, disguised as “trimethicone”.
Silicone Quaternium-8, -16, -17, -18, -20, -22 - the most common “clever” silicones.

The brutal truth: what silicones really do to your skin and hair

Silicones are not “hydration”; they are suffocation in slow motion. They block everything: breathing, detox, nourishment. After 1–2 years you will see the result.

Completely block toxin elimination.
Skin is the second detox organ after the liver. Dimethicone and Cyclopentasiloxane create an airtight film - toxins, heavy metals, and makeup residue stay trapped inside. Result: inflammation, cysts, rosacea, premature aging.
73% of women using silicone cosmetics have impaired skin barrier (Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 2024).
Hair loss can begin within 1–2 years.
Amodimethicone and Trimethylsiloxysilicate clog scalp follicles. Blood circulation worsens → hair thins, splits, and falls out. PMC 2025: up to 37% hair density loss in 18 months among silicone shampoo users. Silicones never wash out completely - 40% remain even after 10 washes (ResearchGate 2024).
Kill the skin microbiome.
Beneficial bacteria die under the film → dermatitis, eczema, allergies. Acta Informatica Medica 2013/2024: +40% risk of comedones.
D4 and D5 - hormone disruptors.
Cyclotetrasiloxane and Cyclopentasiloxane accumulate in the body, disrupt thyroid and reproductive function. Banned in the EU, California, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and others.

Ecology: 5,740 tons of silicones into the ocean every day

Every cream or shampoo is a contribution to a global catastrophe.

Silicone production for cosmetics - 8,200 tons/day (Silicone Industry Association 2024).
70% (5,740 tons/day) washes straight into the sewer (UNEP 2025).
Oceans - 14× above safe levels (Greenpeace 2024).
D4/D5 do not degrade for 242–1200 days (Cosmetics Europe 2024).

Where does the remaining 30% of silicones go?

Out of 8,200 tons produced daily, ~70% (5,740 tons) goes into wastewater. The remaining 30% (~2,460 tons/day) ends up as:

Evaporation into the atmosphere (up to 90% for volatile D5) → oxidizes and returns with rain.
Landfills and solid waste (10–20%) → never degrades.
Industrial waste (5–10%) → enters soil and air.
Bioaccumulation in the body (<1%) → accumulates in tissues over time (Uppsala University 2024).

Silicones = 25% of microplastics in wastewater (C&EN 2025). Fish mutate, birds die - and it’s from your cream and shampoo. They are “eternal” pollutants: air, soil, landfills. They come back to us through rain, food, and water.