Silicone is one of the most debated ingredients in skincare. With the rise of "clean beauty," more people are actively seeking out silicone-free products. But is silicone really an ingredient to avoid? Let's separate the myths from the facts.
Is Silicone Actually a Bad Ingredient?
Silicone shows up constantly in everyday life - cooking tools, medical devices, even implants placed inside the body. It's prized for its durability and heat resistance, which is why it's also used in artificial joints, implants, and dental adhesives. So where does the idea that "silicone clogs pores" actually come from - and is it true?
Getting to Know Silicone
Most prestige international skincare and makeup brands use silicone ingredients - you can find them right on the ingredient list. A few of the most common: Dimethicone - the most widely used silicone, an emollient found in countless moisturizing products, with a long, well-documented safety record. Polymethylsilsesquioxane - used for oil absorption and shine control because of its structure; being water-resistant, it sits on the surface rather than absorbing, which is why it's common in makeup. Amodimethicone - mainly used in hair conditioning to form a protective film, smooth hair, and reduce static.
Silicones are prized for their smooth, lightweight application, which is why leading brands use them extensively in primers, foundations, and skincare.
Does Silicone Cause Acne?
Research generally points to other factors - how an ingredient interacts with the rest of a formula, individual skin type, and cleansing habits - as bigger drivers of breakouts than silicone itself.
This myth likely comes from silicone's occlusive properties: it forms a thin film on skin to help retain moisture, and some people feel that film traps oil and clogs pores. But according to The Chemistry and Manufacture of Cosmetics (Vol. 3, Book 2, Allured Publishing Corporation, 2002, pp. 833-839), silicone's molecular structure actually forms a breathable film - protecting moisture without a heavy, suffocating feel.
Using Silicone the Right Way
Dry skin: a good fit - silicone helps prevent moisture loss. Oily or acne-prone skin: use with some caution. Silicone's light texture and moisture-retention can actually help manage oil, but combined with certain other ingredients, or depending on how thoroughly skin is cleansed, it can feel heavy for some people. Sensitive skin: generally a good fit (patch test recommended). Silicone is typically non-irritating and non-allergenic, though reactions can vary depending on what else is in the formula. Post-procedure skin: often recommended. Because it's non-irritating and protective, silicone appears in many prescription post-procedure products - always patch-test first.
General usage tip: a little goes a long way. Apply primers and makeup bases thinly so they don't sit heavily on skin, and remove silicone-based makeup thoroughly with a double cleanse (oil or balm cleanser followed by a foam cleanser).
Curious how a high-concentration formula handles slip and absorption without ointment-type oils? See SkinStandard's 75% Dexpanthenol Add-on Serum.
The Bottom Line
Silicone will likely keep playing an important role in cosmetics, and research into more sustainable, recyclable silicone is actively ongoing. Rather than ruling it out entirely, it's worth choosing silicone-containing products that fit your specific skin type and making the most of what the ingredient does well.
Reference: The Chemistry and Manufacture of Cosmetics (Volume 3, Book 2, Allured Publishing Corporation, 2002, pages 833-839)
Read that way, the silicone debate is really a debate about a formulation problem, not a villain: how do you get a product to spread smoothly, absorb, and hold moisture without feeling heavy? Silicone is one good answer to that question. It isn't the only one - and which answer a formula picks depends on what else is in it. Here's a formula that faced the same problem and solved it a different way.
A Concrete Example: SkinStandard's 75% Dexpanthenol Add-on Serum
75% dexpanthenol (750,000 ppm). Pharmacy panthenol ointments sit around 5%, so this is roughly fifteen times that, using only the active D-form.
The texture problem, solved without ointment-type oils. Concentrations like this usually arrive in an ointment base. This formula leaves out the ointment-type oil ingredients - paraffin, white wax, lanolin - and uses nano-sized squalane to carry the ingredient in instead, with citric acid holding the formula at pH 5.5 ± 0.5.
Seven ingredients, every one disclosed down to 0.001%. Nothing about the composition is left to inference from an ingredient list.
Tested rather than asserted. In clinical testing (Pderma Skin Clinical Research Institute, Oct 20 - Nov 27 2025, 22 adult women; individual results vary): 24-hour hydration +122.3% after a single use, TEWL -30.1% the following morning, and after 14 days, +8.8% instant hydration and +23.1% barrier recovery. After physical stimulation, immediate soothing recovery measured 78.4%, against 18.3% for untreated natural recovery. No skin adverse reactions were observed during the study. In primary irritation testing on sensitive skin, the irritation score was 0.00 - the lowest grade. No fragrance, no colorants, no alcohol.
How it's used: start with one pump mixed into your moisturizer, serum, or foundation - it works on the body as well.
75% Dexpanthenol Add-on SerumShop this product on skinstandard.com›
