The Beauty of Silicone Ingredients
Safe and ethical
Consumers are looking for high performing products to make them look and feel their best. From skin care products that reduce shine, to hair conditioners that save time and to creams that mask fine lines and stop the damaging effects of pollution, consumers want products that are made for them.
Dow’s specialty silicones are compatible with other ingredients, allowing multiple benefits to be formulated into one product. Silicones have been used in beauty and personal care products for over sixty years and today, safe, high-performance and sustainable silicones are the ingredient of choice for a wide range of formulations. In addition, silicones are GMO-free, colorless, odorless, non-ionic, and have excellent oxidation resistance properties.
Silicones are inert materials that have a very low propensity to react with living organisms, including the human body, and are stable substances under usual environmental conditions. Silicon is one of the most abundant natural elements on earth, in the form of sand, quartz etc. Silicones can be degraded in the environment through multiple natural mechanisms (hydrolysis, photolysis, oxidation). None of their components are derived from animals, meaning silicones are vegan-friendly and cruelty-free by default.
At Dow, we focus on innovation in our personal care products to help meet the needs of tomorrow’s consumers. We are constantly innovating to ensure our silicone ingredients go above and beyond to meet the most demanding standards for safe personal care products.
Skin care benefits you can feel
The desire for youthful, flawless skin keeps growing. Consumers continue to invest in products that deliver multiple benefits, including enhanced texture and aesthetics, moisturization, anti-aging effects, anti-pollution, UV protection and more. They expect products to be tailored to their specific skin type and requirements. Hypoallergenic, non-irritating and non-comedogenic, silicones are key to delivering an array of properties that help skin care products replenish, restore and refine.
Hair care that does more
With consumers becoming more discerning about their hair, hair care products are going beyond the hair’s surface, safely enhancing not just the aesthetics, but also enhancing its condition and resistance. Performance-enhancing silicone solutions help create hair care products that protect, repair and style while delivering a soft feel.
Enhanced protection consumers are looking for
When it comes to sun care, consumers are looking for enhanced protection, recognizing the importance of higher SPF, which they want delivered with increased wash-off resistance for longer lasting protection, ease of spreading and a non-greasy feel. Silicones are the ideal solution for quality sun care products, playing an important role in protecting consumers from harmful exposure to UV radiation.
Color cosmetics that stand out
Cosmetics are designed to enhance natural beauty while softening imperfections. One of the most essential elements is color— it adds more vibrancy, more allure and more of the “wow” factor. Consumers are looking for color cosmetics that are easy to apply and long-lasting.
Specialty silicones can help intensify and dramatize cosmetics, as well as deliver the vibrant color consumers seek.
Dow Personal Care Selection Guide
Find the silicone emulsifiers you need to create stable water-in-silicone and water-in-silicone+oil emulsions; get emulsification success tips.
Dow Silicone in Skin Care Applications
Search information on the history of silicone in skin care, safe use of silicones in skin care, permeability of silicone and the benefits of silicone in skin care products such as sensory enhancement.
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