10 Reasons Why Silicone Is Bad for Your Skin

Have you ever used up a cream or foundation that left skin feeling soft and slippery? In many cases, that feeling isn't from a formula that's improving your skin health, but instead it's from silicone in the product.

Countless cosmetic companies still use silicone because it gives customers a false feeling of skin improvement and smoothness. Giving that instant gratification, instead of long-term effective results is what silicone does. Plus, it's cheaper than natural, clean ingredients (like what Fitglow uses in our formulas) that actually optimize your skin health for the better, and long-term.

So, what is silicone exactly and why is it so bad? First off, it's not a natural ingredient, it's synthetic and has chemical additives which isn't what any of us want applied to our skin. Derived from silica and other elements, silicone is technically made from natural ingredients, yes, but when combined they undergo an intense chemical process that changes the ingredient. Though it might feel okay, unfortunately, silicone isn't doing much good for your skin.

In this article, we're going to jump into the 10 reasons why silicone is bad for your skin, reiterating why our formulas are all silicone-free, clean and plant-based.

1. Silicone clogs your pores

It traps everything including bacteria, impurities, dirt, and sebum in your skin by forming a barrier on the skin. This leads to your skin not being able to breathe as it normally should and it can affect the natural process of sweating, which can lead to more blemishes. Silicone can also causes pores to enlarge, which many of us work to diminish. 

2. Silicone blocks other ingredients from absorbing into the skin

As it forms an extra barrier to your skin, silicone prevents other ingredients and formulas from working to their full potential. Since it leaves a residue and builds up on the skin, it creates a barrier that does not let your skincare products absorb into the skin like they should be able to. This means, even if you're using clean, powerful products following the product with silicone, the outcome will be far less effective and the benefits will not be visible. 

3. Silicone can cause breakouts, irritation and acne

Silicone is hard to remove and can build up on your skin, which leads to acne. It can especially cause irritation for people who have sensitive skin and cause skin to become even more sensitive than before. If you are acne-prone and oily, using silicone-based products will make it even worse, which will lead to confusion over what exactly you should be doing to help your acne, breakouts and irritated skin. Our suggestion? Stick to clean products and formulas without silicone.

4. It does not support skin health

The main reason silicone is in skincare or makeup products is to give it a smooth, silky look. It does not have any benefits when it comes to skin health and does not have any antioxidant properties. There are no benefits for your skin whether it's anti-aging, hydration, nourishment or anything else you're looking to improve with your skin. For this reason (and the rest of the 10) it's recommended you use products without silicone so that you're feeding your skin nutrients it can use and needs.

5. Silicone can dehydrate your skin

It prevents moisture from getting into your skin which can affect your skin’s pH level and the skin’s barrier. This leads to skin drying out and being dull. When your skin is dehydrated, your skin’s moisture barrier becomes damaged and unbalanced which can lead to fine lines, wrinkles, flakiness and dullness.

6. Silicone slows down cell turnover

Silicone traps dead skin cells and makes it harder for your skin to shed dead layers on the skin. It also slows down the process of new cells to come to the surface which is essential for your skin's health. When these dead skin cells build up, it can cause dull skin, breakouts and clogged pores. By blocking the skin from creating new cells and getting rid of the old ones, your skin can experience more damage than benefit.

7. Silicone is difficult to remove from the skin

Silicone leaves a residue and coats the skin because it can be very heavy. When you use silicone-based makeup it doesn't absorb into the skin, which means it piles up on the skin. This build up gets into your pores and causes your skin harm. At the end of the day, you could be washing your face and not even realize that there is still a silicone residue left on your skin, still sinking into your pores.

8. Silicone is bad for the environment

Outside of our skin health, it's also not good for the Earth because it is not bio-degradable and it's non-recyclable. Similar to rubber and plastic, silicone takes a very long time to decompose which is why switching to clean, pleant-based products is always safer for us and the environment.

9. Silicone can accelerate aging

Since silicone dries out your skin, it causes fine lines and wrinkles to become more visible. Since silicone increases your chance of acne and breakouts, the skin is more prone to scarring. It also has zero anti-aging properties. The best products are ones with skin benefits and help with aging so you can have youthful skin.

10. Silicone is a chemical and is not natural

The silicone in products is modified into many different formulas. It goes through a chemical process which makes it synthetic. The best skincare and makeup products are ones that have natural, organic, and gluten-free ingredients.

These are just some of the many reasons why silicone is bad for your skin and should be avoided in all skincare and makeup products. There are many alternatives to use in skincare and makeup products that are much healthier. Some natural emollients that can be used as alternatives are jojoba oil, squalane, rosehip oil and aloe vera juice. We do not use any silicone is our products for those reasons. You should care about what is going on your skin so make sure you are buying skincare and makeup products with only the healthiest ingredients.

Other names for Silicone to look for on labels: amodimethicone, cyclomethicone, dimethicone, methicone, trimethicone, nylon, trimethylsilylamodimethicone, dimethiconol, bis-PEG-18 methyl ether dimethyl silane, triethoxycaprylylsilane, triethoxycaprylylsilane crosspolymer, Cyclopentasiloxane, polydimethylsiloxane, siloxane, acrylamides, acrylates, carbomers, copolymers, methacrylates, polymers, polyvinylpyrrolidone, dimethicone copolyol, cyclohexasiloxane, phenyl trimethicone.