Regardless of how sensitive your skin is and what type you attribute it to, most scientific experts recommend not using products that contain silicones. Hence, the main difficulty arises: it is far from always possible to find them right away and without hindrance on the label - the manufacturers taught by life experience have learned to successfully “hide” them, encrypting the ingredients under all kinds of highly scientific professional terms. In addition, we must not forget that all their new modifications of silicones continue to be invented almost every day.
Why cosmetics companies are not ditching silicones
In fairness, we note that the harm of silicones is still not a generally proven fact (there are a number of scientists who resolutely rebel against this hypothesis). At the same time, there are more and more supporters of the fact that silicone-based cosmetic products cannot be made among competent specialists every day. For example, the authoritative Canadian Ministry of Health at the national level has recognized many subtypes of silicones as openly harmful (at least harmful to the entire environment: silicones do not decompose and, as a result, accumulate in colossal amounts in nature).
More than 75% of beauty products contain silicones and parabens.
They make the texture of the beauty product more uniform. And besides, silicones can make the product much more durable and plastic. So if you feel that the texture of, for example, your cream is velvety, and it also does not leave an unpleasant sticky feeling on the skin, then most likely it is made on the basis of silicones. The bottom line: your skin looks more hydrated - and it makes you think the product is really "working" when in reality it is only a short-term and, importantly, superficial effect.
It's cheaper. Let's be realistic: any business is primarily concerned with benefits. So the low cost of silicone is the main reason why it is added wherever possible. After all, natural decomposable components are much more expensive, and their shelf life, for obvious reasons, expires much faster.
Top 7 Reasons to Avoid Silicone Products:
Silicone is a hydrophobic substance (this means that its molecules practically do not interact with water - we will tell you why this is bad below). So, it can be said to "seal" the skin, due to which many cosmetic companies consider themselves entitled to boast of the "officially proven" long-lasting effect of deep moisturizing (marks on the packaging "moisturizing 24/48 hours" indirectly indicate this).
Look for natural ingredients like aloe vera and non-harmful oils like shea and jojoba to moisturize your skin.
1) Silicones don't make your skin better. Silicones, in truth, do not moisturize or nourish the skin - that's a fact. Moreover, regardless of how expensive cream they appear on the label (as we wrote earlier, due to clogging with a film invisible to the human eye, only a superficial and short-term feeling is created that the skin is really saturated with moisture). But natural ingredients like aloe vera, harmless oils like shea and jojoba, will cope with this task with a bang.
The easiest way to identify silicones is by their endings: -methicone, -silicone, -oxane …
2) Silicones can make the skin look dull and dehydrated. If your skin is naturally normal or dry, then it is quite possible that you will be able to avoid breakouts. True, in this case, you will encounter even greater contraction and a feeling of dryness. Of course, in fairness, we note that not only silicones impede sufficient moisture. However, these “helpers”, among other things, can influence the natural processes of skin renewal. And even the body itself will become less focused on natural hydration processes.
3) Silicones clog your pores. Like plastic wrap, silicones are a barrier on your skin, and a barrier in the negative sense of the word. The fact is that it blocks access to the skin from the outside, "sealing" dirt on it, constantly producing sebum and new dead cells.
The most common silicone, dimethicone, is also the most harmful to our skin.
4) Silicones interfere with natural cell renewal. As you know, from the moment of the inception of the skin to its wilting, it takes about 28 days (depending on the age of the person). This period is called the skin renewal cycle. Silicones also influence this natural process: the barrier on the skin prevents the elimination of dead cells and the formation of new ones. As a result, the likelihood of developing pigmentation, wrinkles and redness increases.
5) Silicones can trigger acne. This same barrier, by creating an environment for the multiplication of bacteria, thus provokes irritation and rashes. So, if you are prone to showing symptoms of this disease, even more so avoid silicone-based products.
6) Silicones prevent other ingredients from being absorbed when layering products (that is, when you use sequentially serum, cream, elixir, primer, tone, etc.). So, for example, if you start your daily beauty routine with a silicone-based cleanser, this affects the absorption of subsequent treatments, making them much less effective overnight.
7) Silicones are difficult to remove from the skin. The most common silicone - dimethicone - is very "heavy" for our skin and creates a rather dense unwanted barrier. By the way, only high-quality two-phase cleansing products successfully cope with this. With hair, of course, everything is more complicated - water will not wash off silicones, and meanwhile, it is precisely these substances (and almost every one!) Are most often added to the hair and scalp care products.
How to recognize any silicones in a product
Below we give a list of names that you are likely to find in your care and decorative products (we give them in English, because they are usually denoted that way - internationally). So, the most common silicones are:
Cone:
Dimethicone
Methicone
Trimethicone
Cyclomethicone
Amodimethicone
Trimethylsilylamodimethicone
Siloxane:
Cyclopentasiloxane
Polydimethylsiloxane
Conol:
Dimethiconol
Polymers:
C10-30 Alkyl acrylate crosspolymer
VP / V
Copolymer
Polybutene Polyisobutene
Photo: Getty Images
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