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December 31, 2005
Posted by admin

Cyclopentasiloxane

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* A silicone. See TIA’s Silicone Article.

Functions:

Mainly used as a conditioner, delivery agent, lubricant and solvent. Like all other silicones, this ingredient has a unique fluidity that makes it easily spreadable. When applied to the skin and hair, it gives a silky & slippery feeling to the touch and acts a mild water repellent by forming a protective barrier on the skin. It can also fill in fine lines/wrinkles, giving the face a temporary “plump” look.

It’s ability to impart a wet and silky look makes it an ideal candidate in hair products, both rinse off and leave on ones. It’s particularly useful in hair conditioners because it provides a silky feel with out weighing the hair down with greasy residue. Because of its water thin consistency, it helps deliver heavier silicones also contained in a product, and for this is reason is often used in conjunction with dimethicone. In fact, as a volatile silicone, it quickly evaporates into the air after delivering nutrients to the skin and hair. You can mostly dind this ingredient in products such as foundation, facial moisturizer/lotion, hair dye, shampoo/conditioner, styling gel, anti-frizz treatment, sunscreen, anti-aging treatment and deodorant/antiperspirant.

Safety Measures/Side Effects:

While silicones such as cyclopentasiloxane do not appear to have adverse effects on the human body, there are many concerns regarding the harmful effects it may have on the environment (i.e. marine life). For this reason, many countries like Canada have requested the silicone industry to provide more information and scientific data regarding its safety. Cyclopentasiloxane may cause mild skin and eye irritation, according to the ingredient’s material safety data sheet, and a small percentage of it reaches systemic circulation through dermal absorption, as found in a study by the Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences.

All in all, there seems to be a great debate regarding both efficacy and safety of this ingredient. Do get a closer look into the controversy, read the comments section of this Beauty Brains post.

Recommended Products w/ cyclopentasiloxane:

iQ Derma Essentials RestorEyes ($85), Murad Firm and Tone Serum, Dr Spiller’s Celltresor Gel