What are Silicones?

Silicones are ingredients commonly found in our personal care products. They are derived from silica, or silicon dioxide, a naturally occurring substance. They are added to skin care products to provide a slippery, non-greasy, and non-sticky base. Aside from skin care products, silicones may also be added on topical drugs to make them more aesthetically appealing to the patients.

Before silicones became common, many of the topical products available are formulated with petrolatum or mineral oil. While petrolatum provides a protective layer on the skin, it does not appeal to many users due to it's thickness and greasy feel. Nowadays, we can find a lot of  topical products containing silicones in several different forms. Just like petrolatum, silicones also provide a protective layer on the skin. It seals in the moisture beneath the skin, and makes the product easier to spread across the skin.

They can also act as temporary fillers on the skin, making the skin appear smoother. That is why many foundations, primers, concealers, eye shadows, BB creams, and so on, contain silicones. Without silicones, the pigments will collect in the skin's creases and lines, making wrinkles even the more noticeable.

Silicones are synthesized in many different forms, with differing volatility and thickness. Whichever type of silicones is used depends on the product's purpose. Common examples of silicones are dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, methicone, and cyclohentasiloxane. If you wish to know if your product contains silicones, look for ingredients ending in "-cone," "-siloxane," and "-conol."

Silicones are inert substances. They act as carriers for active ingredients. When applied topically, silicone forms a film that sits on top of the skin. Silicones are said to be occlusive, meaning they can trap everything underneath the skin, thereby suffocating the skin like a plastic wrap does. Imagine the sweat, dirt residue, and bacteria all being undesirably trapped inside. When this happens, skin becomes irritated, and acne breakouts occur.

It's because of it's occlusive nature that makes an increasing number of consumers shy away from silicone-containing products (Note that other sources, however, claim this to be untrue). While silicones are declared safe by the FDA and CIR Expert Panel, it can be an irritating substance to some people.

But if silicones form a film on top of the skin, how can the active ingredients or all the good stuff from the formulation get through the barrier? According to Dow Corning's paper:

Thus, depending on the active, the skin penetration could be increased, decreased or unchanged. The film forming properties of silicone and the solubility in the skin was thought to play a part in the drug release mechanism.

In other words, silicones can be a great vehicle to promote better absorption of actives, but it would have to depend on the type of formulation for this to occur. This is useful for topical drug application. Some formulations containing silicones, on the other hand, discourage absorption, allowing the actives to merely stay on top of the skin and remain there for a long time, even when subjected to rubbing. This rub-proof characteristic makes silicones an essential ingredient for cosmetics and sunscreens to last long.

So, do you really have to stay away from silicones or not? Health-wise, silicones do not pose any significant risks on our body. So if you don't have a sensitive skin, go ahead and use your favorite silicone-containing products. But beware, silicones are non-biogradable and their wastes will accumulate in the environment. If this concerns you, you wouldn't want silicones to be in your products. 

My opinion is, I wouldn't completely stay away from silicones. They are important ingredients that make our skin care products more appealing to the skin. They also make it possible for the UV filters in sunscreens to last long, which is important to have better protection. I wouldn't mind it if I find silicones to be present in my sunscreen and BB cream. I will, however, avoid SILICONE-based products, meaning, the first ingredient listed is a silicone instead of the usual water solvent (which is my most preferred solvent due to my oily skin). I've used a serum which happened to be silicone-based, and my skin got irritated after frequent application.

On a side note, here are my personal tips when using skin care products with silicones:

• Since silicones may be occlusive, make sure that your face is thoroughly cleansed before applying a silicone-containing product.
• Wash your face every after sweating.
• Some sources suggest applying the silicone-containing product last, in order to prevent other actives from being blocked.
• Use an effective cleanser/makeup remover to remove your silicone-based  or silicone-containing cosmetics and sunscreens at night.

Meanwhile, if you wish to know more about silicones, here are some interesting materials:

http://www.paulaschoice.com/cosmetic-ingredient-dictionary/definition/silicone

http://beautifulwithbrains.com/2012/11/27/do-silicones-prevent-other-ingredients-from-sinking-into-the-skin/

http://www.dowcorning.com/content/publishedlit/chapter16.pdf
http://cincovidas.com/dimethicone-the-truth-behind-this-common-cosmetics-ingredient/

Are you using products containing silicones? What do you think of silicones?

Last updated: July 3, 2015

Product Review: The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost

I have very oily skin, and the tropical climate in the Philippines only exacerbates the oiliness. That is why I have to choose my skin care products with utmost care to control my skin's sebum production.

I've been searching for the best moisturizer (even oily skin needs to be moisturized), and just stumbled upon this product from The Body Shop - Vitamin C Skin Boost. It's a serum, meaning it has a concentrated amount of key ingredient - in this case, Vitamin C - not a moisturizer, but I still decided to get this product as an addition to my beauty arsenal.

Product: Vitamin C Skin Boost
Price and Availability: Php 1,450.00 (The Body Shop), USD 22.98 (Amazon) / 30ml 
Ingredients: Cyclopentasiloxane (Skin-Conditioning Agent/Emollient), Dimethicone (Skin Conditioning Agent), Cyclohexasiloxane (Conditioning Agent), Dimethicone Crosspolymer (Emulsion Stabilizer), Synthetic Fluorphlogopite (Viscosity Increasing Agent), HDI/Trimethylol Hexyllactone Crosspolymer (Anticaking Agent), Fragrance (Fragrance), Ascorbic Acid (Antioxidant), Bertholletia Excelsa Seed Oil (Emollient), Tocopherol (Antioxidant), Glycerin (Humectant), Ethylhexyl Hydroxystearate (Skin-Conditioning Agent/Emollient), Polysilicone-11 (Film Former), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Silica (Absorbent), Benzyl Benzoate (Solvent), Myrciaria Dubia Fruit Extract (Skin-Conditioning Agent), Water (Solvent/Diluent), Hexyl Cinnamal (Fragrance Ingredient), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Mica (Opacifier), Titanium Dioxide (Colour) 

Remarks: According to the cosdna.com database, none of the ingredients from the list are highly comedogenic and irritating.

Vitamin C Skin Boost says:

Directions for product application:

Yes, if you have oily skin, you can simply use a serum instead of a moisturizer. It's more lightweight and less greasy. Serums costs more than moisturizers though because of the high concentration of key ingredients. I chose Vitamin C as my serum's key ingredient because I wanted an ingredient that will even out my skin tone and reduce my acne scars.

I'm not into applying a lot of layers of skin care products onto my skin. So whenever I use this serum, I skip my moisturizer. It's enough to keep my skin moisturized anyway. 

The product comes with a pump and a translucent cap. The rest of the bottle is hidden by the labels so I have no idea how to monitor the content left inside. I've been using it since two months ago, and hopefully it will last long.

Here's how the container looks like:

Vitamin C Skin Boost has of course, a citrus smell. I love it because it somehow rejuvenates my senses. It has a moderately thick consistency (it's not runny, that is), and can be easily spread across the skin. I only use a single squirt to cover my entire face. Here's how I apply the serum: I put a small amount on the palm and use my finger to dab it on different spots on the face, concentrating on the dark spots. Then, I spread everything else to the rest of the face, using my fingers in circular motion (just as the product's label indicated). I end the application by tapping my skin using my fingertips to help the serum set in.

What I really really love about this product is the smooth base it provides on the skin. I use this before applying my BB cream. It makes the BB cream spread easily. Without the serum, the BB creams would sometimes leave visible pigments especially around the nose and uneven surfaces of the skin. With the serum as a base, I don't have to put much time and effort to even out the BB cream. 

Also, I noticed that my skin tone has evened out after using the product, though the improvement is not very dramatic. My acne scars are still visible, but less noticeable. I will continue using the product to see better results.

So in a nutshell, here are the pros and cons:

PROS: 

• Acts as a smooth base
• Non-greasy feel
• Noncomedogenic
• Refreshing citrus smell
• Contains Vitamin C - an antioxidant that can even out skin tone 

CONS:

• Too much silicones (Learn about why silicones may be bad for your skin.)
• Expensive
• Contains fragrances and pigments - not good for sensitive skin

Overall, I love this product because it lubricates the skin without making it appear greasy. It doesn't break me out and the smell is very refreshing. The only gripe I have is the very expensive price and if I were to find another great product with a cheaper price, I would go for that.

UPDATE 1:

I used to just apply the serum once a day only. After trying to use it twice a day, I noticed my skin becoming itchy and reddish. My negative skin reaction must be due to a possible sensitivity to the highly potent form of Vitamin C in the formulation.

I cut back to once a day again, and my skin became less irritated. However, there are no further improvements with regards to my skin tone and skin's smoothness. I also started using my moisturizer with the serum in order to prevent irritation.

UPDATE 2:

I have stopped using this product. Not only is the price a big turn-off, the high concentration of silicones worries me. I am currently using a bleaching gel from my dermatologist for my acne scars.

Last Updated: August 24, 2015

Shop Online for Beauty Products

Knowing a lot about beauty products has a setback, it makes you very picky. You know that there are certain ingredients to avoid. You know that there are only certain products that suit you. And you also know that you should also consider the value for your money. What makes it even more frustrating is that after learning about the do's and don'ts on buying skin care products, you realize that the product you are looking for is not available in your nearest drugstore.

Does that mean you have to go shop hopping until you find your right product? That was only true ages ago. Now, shopping online is made much easier, thanks to the Internet.

Below I've produced a couple of product articles for beauty products. check out these links and see if you like something. All these products come from Amazon.

What are BB Creams?
Whenever you go to the beauty stores, or check out some beauty blogs or magazines, it's hard not to miss out BB creams. In fact, BB creams might be the lates...

Gift Guide: Beauty Products for Your Sister
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