Should we be afraid of silicones in cosmetics?

Let's start with the fact that silicones in the product need to be recognized. As a rule, they are signed in the composition with the following words: Dimethicone, Amodimethicone, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetyl Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Cetearyl Methicone, Dimethiconol, Stearyl Dimethicone, Trimethylsilylamodimethicone.

By their nature, silicones are inert towards our skin and hair, that is, they do no harm or benefit to them. They can solve some visual problem, for example, make the skin smoother and the hair shiny, but immediately after removing this product from the skin or hair, everything will return to normal. This is the first fact that is important to remember and accept.

The second important fact is who and what silicones harm is the environment. Firstly, in the process of its production. Silicone itself is silicon that has been processed and transformed into a high-molecular compound by molecular rearrangement. This process can be called environmentally dirty. Secondly, silicones harm nature, accumulating in wastewater, soil and even in the atmosphere. Moreover, during research, a certain amount of silicones was even detected in human blood, but, fortunately, in quantities that were non-toxic to us.

Now let's look at a few popular myths that are partly related to these two important facts.

Myth: Silicones clog pores. It has long been proven that silicones are absolutely non-comedogenic, that is, they do not clog pores and hair follicles, do not cause rashes and do not aggravate acne.

Myth: Skin cannot breathe under silicone. Silicones do not disrupt the gas exchange of tissues and do not prevent the penetration of oxygen to cells, therefore, as we like to say, the skin continues to breathe under them.

Myth: Silicones dehydrate the skin. Silicones have the properties of occlusive films - they retain water in cells, so they can even be considered moisturizers, and not vice versa. This film on the skin is very thin, equal to two nanometers, so it feels like a light veil. If a product with silicone does not moisturize, most likely it does not suit the client in some way or it lacks other moisturizing components.

Myth: Silicones are used only in budget cosmetics. Silicones are used in cosmetics of different classes - from budget to luxury and even pharmacy beauty products. But most often they use different silicones - from the simplest to more complex technological ingredients, which are supplemented, for example, with amino acids, so that the silicone adheres better to the surface of the skin and makes wrinkles less noticeable. Of course, such silicone is more expensive.

Myth: Silicones do not wash off well. Silicones are washed off quite easily from the surface of the skin, since they create only a thin film. But pigments, especially in waterproof cosmetics, can really be difficult to wash off, since they contain a large percentage of anionic surfactants.

We conclude that there is no need to be afraid of silicones in cosmetics, since they certainly do not cause harm to the human body. But if you care about the environment and buy only organic products, then you really should forget about silicones.