Is dimethicone safe? What this silicone does in skin and hair products
Where dimethicone is allowed
United States
PermittedDimethicone is not among the ingredients FDA's regulations prohibit or restrict in cosmetics, and cosmetic ingredients need no FDA approval before sale. It is also one of the active ingredients FDA's rules allow, at 1 to 30 percent, in over-the-counter skin-protectant drug products (21 CFR 347.10). [1, 2]
What is dimethicone?
Dimethicone is a silicone: a chain of repeating silicon and oxygen units with methyl groups attached. The CIR describes it as a mixture of fully methylated linear siloxane polymers, and chemists also call it polydimethylsiloxane. Longer chains make a more viscous liquid.
It belongs to a family the CIR reviewed together: 30 related dimethicone, methicone and substituted-methicone polymers, such as Cetyl Dimethicone and Amodimethicone, which are separate ingredients on a label.
Why it's used, and where you'll find it
The CIR says most ingredients in this family work as skin and hair conditioning agents. A 2023 dermatology review lists silicones among key ingredients in moisturisers, sunscreens, colour cosmetics and shampoos. Dimethicone also has a drug-side job in the US: FDA's rules allow it at 1 to 30 percent as an active ingredient in over-the-counter skin-protectant products.
What the research and regulators say
What the CIR concluded
In a 2022 re-review of 30 dimethicone and methicone ingredients, the CIR expert panel concluded they are safe in cosmetics as currently used, when formulated to be non-irritating. It made one exception: data were insufficient to judge safety in products that might be inhaled when applied with airbrush devices. [7, 11]
Skin absorption and allergy
In the studies the CIR summarised, dimethicone largely stayed on the outside. In a rat study about 70 percent of the applied dose was found on the patch and none was found in the blood, and a test on excised human skin tissue concluded it was not likely to penetrate the skin barrier. It was not a sensitiser in animal tests or in the human patch tests the CIR summarised (83 and 106 volunteers). [7]
The 'clogs pores' claim
A popular claim is that silicones block pores or suffocate skin. We could not find a regulator or expert-panel finding that tests this for dimethicone. The CIR report covers absorption, irritation and sensitisation but does not assess acne or pore blocking; its table of functions lists dimethicone as an antifoaming agent, a skin protectant and an 'occlusive' skin-conditioning agent. We did not find a primary source that answers the pore question either way. [7]
Cyclic silicones are a separate story
D4, D5 and D6 are small ring-shaped silicones, not dimethicone. In the EU, D4 (octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane) is on the Cosmetics Regulation's prohibited list (Annex II, entry 1388). Separately, a 2024 REACH regulation, adopted on environmental grounds, bars placing D4, D5 and D6 on the market at 0.1 percent or more by weight, with some exemptions. For cosmetics it applies after 31 January 2020 for D4 and D5 in wash-off products, and after 6 June 2027 for all other cosmetics. [5, 6]
Who might choose to avoid it
Nothing well supported points to a group that should avoid dimethicone in ordinary cosmetics. The one clear caveat is airbrush application, where the CIR said data were insufficient to judge inhalation safety. Some people simply prefer silicone-free products, which is a personal choice rather than regulator advice.
How to spot it on a label
On ingredient lists it appears as 'Dimethicone'. Related names ending in -dimethicone or -methicone (Cetyl Dimethicone, Methicone) are separate ingredients in the same CIR family. Cyclic silicones have different names, such as octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4). In food processing, a food-grade form of the same silicone is called dimethylpolysiloxane in US rules and E 900 in the EU.
Check what's in your own productsScan a barcode or a label photo and Label X-Ray flags dimethicone and everything else in plain English, with your allergies checked automatically.
Frequently asked questions
Is dimethicone safe?
The CIR expert panel concluded in 2022 that dimethicone and related silicones are safe in cosmetics as currently used when formulated to be non-irritating, with an exception for products applied with airbrush devices, where data were insufficient. No US, Canadian or EU rule bans it in cosmetics.
Is dimethicone a silicone?
Yes. The CIR describes dimethicone as a mixture of fully methylated linear siloxane polymers, which is the chemical name for this kind of silicone. Chemists also call it polydimethylsiloxane.
Is dimethicone a steroid?
No. It is a silicone polymer. FDA lists dimethicone as a skin-protectant ingredient, in the same list as allantoin, cocoa butter and colloidal oatmeal.
Is dimethicone banned in Europe?
No. Dimethicone has no entry of its own in the EU Cosmetics Regulation's lists of banned or restricted substances. The restrictions people hear about apply to cyclic silicones: D4 is prohibited in EU cosmetics, and D4, D5 and D6 are limited under a 2024 REACH rule on environmental grounds.
Does dimethicone clog pores?
We could not find a regulator or expert-panel conclusion on this. The CIR review found dimethicone mostly stayed on the skin surface and was not a sensitiser in the tests it summarised, but it did not assess acne or pore blocking.
Is dimethicone in food?
A food-grade form of the same silicone, called dimethylpolysiloxane, is allowed as an anti-foaming agent in US food processing, generally at up to 10 parts per million with a few listed exceptions (21 CFR 173.340). The EU lists it as additive E 900, with maximum levels for the food categories where it is allowed.
Related ingredients
Sources
- U.S. FDA — Prohibited & Restricted Ingredients in Cosmetics (accessed 2026-09-19)
- eCFR (U.S. Government) — 21 CFR 347.10 Skin protectant active ingredients (accessed 2026-09-19)
- Health Canada — Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist: Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients (accessed 2026-09-19)
- Health Canada — Safety of Cosmetic Ingredients (accessed 2026-09-19)
- EUR-Lex (European Union) — Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, consolidated text of 1 May 2026 (Annex II entry 1388) (accessed 2026-09-19)
- EUR-Lex (European Union) — Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/1328 of 16 May 2024 amending Annex XVII to REACH as regards D4, D5 and D6 (accessed 2026-09-19)
- Cosmetic Ingredient Review — Amended Safety Assessment of Dimethicone, Methicone, and Substituted-Methicone Polymers as Used in Cosmetics (final amended report, April 2022) (accessed 2026-09-19)
- eCFR (U.S. Government) — 21 CFR 173.340 Defoaming agents (accessed 2026-09-19)
- EUR-Lex (European Union) — Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 on food additives, consolidated text (Annex II, E 900) (accessed 2026-09-19)
- PubMed (J Cutan Aesthet Surg) — Silicone in Dermatology: An Update (accessed 2026-09-19)
- PubMed (J Am Acad Dermatol) — Safety of ingredients used in cosmetics (accessed 2026-09-19)
This page summarizes what regulators and published research say, as of the review date above. Rules and evidence change; check the linked sources for the latest. It is general information, not medical advice — talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own health.