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Data: Limited

Dimethicone

  • Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

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Other Concerns

Use restrictions (moderate), Persistence and bioaccumulation (high), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Ecotoxicology (low)

SYNONYMS

● DIMETHICONE
● DIMETHICONE COPOLYOL
● DIMETHYL SILICONE
● DIMETHYLSILOXANE, POLY(OXYETHYLENE OXYPROPYLENE) COPOLYMER; ETHOXYLATED, PROPOXYLATED SILICONE OIL
● HIGHLY POLYMERIZED METHYL POLYSILOXANE
● METHYL POLYSILOXANE
● POLY[OXY(DIMETHYLSILYLENE)],A -(TRIMETHYLSILYL)-W -METHYL-
● SILICONE L-45
● SILOXANES AND SILICONES, DIME, HYDROXYTERMINATED, ETHOXYLATED PROPOXYLATED

Restricted

Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation


Dimethicone (also called polymethylsiloxane) is a silicon-based polymer used as a lubricant and conditioning agent.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • LOW
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • MODERATE
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
foundation1779 products
eye shadow974 products
lipstick942 products
moisturizer908 products
concealer751 products
facial moisturizer/treatment620 products
conditioner518 products
bronzer/highlighter441 products
daily use with SPF385 products
blush334 products
recreational sunscreen311 products
eye liner278 products
hair treatment/serum275 products
shampoo250 products
hand cream209 products
CC cream185 products
brow liner170 products
mask170 products
serums & essences170 products
around-eye cream168 products
antiperspirant/deodorant162 products
hair styling aide154 products
nail polish151 products
makeup primer147 products
facial powder142 products
setting powder/spray98 products
BB cream97 products
lip gloss90 products
lip liner88 products
body firming lotion76 products
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's)60 products
anti-aging58 products
baby lotion53 products
styling gel/lotion52 products
hair color and bleaching49 products
mascara48 products
lip balm47 products
sunless tanning46 products
44 products
baby sunscreen41 products
glitter36 products
facial cleanser27 products
foot moisturizer24 products
after shave23 products
hair spray23 products
shaving cream22 products
exfoliant/scrub20 products
makeup remover20 products
nail treatment20 products
body wash/cleanser19 products
hand sanitizer18 products
body oil17 products
detangler16 products
lip balm with SPF15 products
damaged skin treatment12 products
diaper cream11 products
skin fading/lightener9 products
other eye makeup9 products
after sun product7 products
cuticle treatment6 products
styling mousse/foam6 products
shaving cream (men's)6 products
lip plumper6 products
pore strips6 products
muscle/joint soreness5 products
beard care5 products
foot odor control4 products
baby oil4 products
body spray4 products
tanning oil4 products
bar soap4 products
baby wipes4 products
beard cleanser4 products
fragrance for women3 products
toners/astringents3 products
makeup removing wipes3 products
liquid hand soap2 products
hair-loss treatment2 products
body cleansing wipes2 products
baby shampoo2 products
eye makeup remover1 products
baby soap1 products
fragrance for men1 products
bubble bath1 products
hair relaxer1 products
tooth whitening1 products
depilatory1 products
body powder1 products
eyelash glue1 products
beard oil1 products
bath oil/salts/soak1 products
polish remover1 products
toothpaste1 products
foot cleansing1 products
nail glue1 products
baby bubble bath1 products
body art1 products

Persistence and bioaccumulation

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlife and humansOpen scientific literature
Persistent, bioaccumulative in wildlifeOpen scientific literature
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Use restrictions

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Product type restrictions or differences noted in safety assessment by industry panelCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Ecotoxicology

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Suspected to be an environmental toxin and be persistent or bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Data gaps

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
218 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Multiple, additive exposure sources

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Food Additive Status
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in foodFDA Everything Added to Food

Informational

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CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006.
  • FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability

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