Many cosmetics contain silicones that give the products special properties. For example, they make hair silky, skin smooth and lipstick long-lasting. However, some people consciously avoid products containing silicone, especially when it comes to hair care. Is it worth using silicone-free cosmetics? What can silicones do? And are they bad for the environment?
Silicones are polymers made up of silicon, oxygen, carbon and hydrogen. In addition to their long shelf life, they are characterized by good skin compatibility and rarely cause allergies. They are therefore often found in shampoos, creams, make-up and many other care products. In the list of ingredients, these plastics can be recognized by the endings “-cone” or “-xane”.
Silicones have a number of advantages and therefore have a wide range of possible uses in cosmetics. For example, the plastics ensure that lipsticks stick for longer, waterproof mascara or a matt complexion. Silicones from hair care products form a shiny film on the hair and fill in brittle areas. This protects the hair from external influences.
Good or bad for your hair?
But despite these properties, some people consciously avoid silicones – especially in their hair. Some believe that the sealing function of silicones causes them to settle on the hair and weigh it down over time. But that’s not true, because residues can be washed out of your hair with any normal shampoo. Others believe that the silicones have no or even a detrimental effect on the hair. But this assumption is not entirely correct either.
As plastics, silicones only have a superficial effect and therefore actually have no caring effect themselves: the hair appears healthier, is smoother and is easier to comb – but it has not been cared for from the inside. Modern silicones also allow other care ingredients contained in the products to penetrate the hair and do not hinder them. Thanks to the hair structure, which is smoothed thanks to the silicones, the hair is also better protected against friction. So we don’t have to do without silicones for the sake of our hair.
Are silicones harmful to the environment?
Nevertheless, when it comes to cosmetics, it is worth taking a closer look at the ingredients – and their origin. Because not all silicone compounds are harmless. The long-lasting silicone compound D4, for example, is suspected of endangering reproduction and damaging aquatic organisms. It is therefore banned in cosmetic products in the EU. The silicones D5 and D6 can only be used in washable products such as shampoos or shower gels in very small quantities – up to a maximum of 0.1 percent. Both substances are difficult to degrade and bioaccumulate – meaning they accumulate in living organisms.
But the silicone-containing cosmetics approved in the EU also enter the environment via wastewater: the compounds are washed out and some of them are released into rivers, lakes and soils via sewage treatment plants. Silicone residues can also get into plants and animals – and thus into the human food chain. However, it is currently difficult to estimate what happens to them there and how harmful care products containing silicone are to the environment. According to the Federal Environment Agency, the available data is limited and is partly based on model calculations. One thing is certain, however: silicones are among the most durable plastic compounds that are rarely broken down in the environment and therefore remain in circulation for years.