Are silicones bad for skin and hair?

Last updated: October 2026

Not for skin. In a study comparing silicones with petrolatum, transepidermal water loss under the silicone film was not significantly different from untreated skin, because the film lets water vapor through. Common cosmetic silicones such as dimethicone and cyclopentasiloxane sit on the surface, wash off with ordinary cleansing and have no established comedogenic mechanism. The real debate about some cyclic silicones is environmental.

What do people believe about silicones?

Silicones form an occlusive film that traps debris, clogs pores and prevents skin from breathing.

What does the evidence show?

A study in Skin Pharmacology and Physiology compared silicones directly against petrolatum. Petrolatum formed a genuinely occlusive layer that raised hydration for more than four hours. The silicone excipients' transepidermal water loss values were not significantly different from untreated control skin.

That is the whole claim answered. Silicone polymers form a film with a molecular structure that permits water vapor through - they are described in the paper's title as nonocclusive topical agents. If water vapor passes, the "suffocation" premise fails, and skin does not respire through its surface in any case; the epidermis is supplied by the dermal circulation.

The pore-clogging claim also runs into a size problem. Common cosmetic silicones such as dimethicone and cyclopentasiloxane are large molecules that sit on the surface and are removed by ordinary cleansing. There is no established comedogenic mechanism, and the ingredients are among the better-tolerated materials in cosmetic use, with very low sensitization rates.

Where does a real concern about silicones exist?

Not skin, but environment. Some cyclic silicones - notably D4, D5 and D6 - have been the subject of environmental persistence and bioaccumulation assessment and regulatory restriction in some jurisdictions. That is a legitimate reason someone might choose to avoid them, and it is a completely different argument from the skin-health one. Making the environmental case accurately is stronger than making the suffocation case inaccurately.

What works instead?

If silicones suit your skin, use them; they are excellent at what they do, which is sensory feel, film-forming and reducing the appearance of texture. If you want to avoid them for environmental reasons, do so on those grounds.