Silicone has been increasingly gaining popularity in skincare and makeup for a number of reasons. Silicone, a chemical additive used in many beauty products, is the easiest way to achieve silky smooth skin and an apparent suppleness. So why should we avoid it? Here are five reasons why Silicone can be extremely dangerous for your skin and cause acne, breakouts, clogged pores and more.
Silicone in skincare
Silicone is commonly used in many gel-based moisturizers to give your skin an instant satiny texture. But as this chemical essentially aids to create an outer layer on skin, it does more harm than good.
Clogs pores
Our skin is naturally porous as it needs to breathe in order to maintain its daily sebum secretion. But Silicone works to create a form of barrier in skin which in terms clogs pore and lets the bacteria and dirt reside in pores. As a result, your skin will experience breakouts or excessive blackheads.
Blocks other ingredients to get absorbed
Silicone does not let other ingredients to get properly absorbed in skin as it sits on top of skin as an outer layer. So no matter which active ingredients you pick for your skincare routine, using a Silicone based moisturizer may lead to the actives not functioning on your skin.
Silicone can cause skin to age faster
Silicone made from Silica doesn't have any antioxidants in it. Instead, the chemical actually dries up on skin and leads to fine lines and wrinkles. Over regular usage of Silicone for a long time, Silicone will lead the skin to look dry and dehydrated.
Silicone slows down the cell turnover
As this chemical is known to sit atop skin, the product residues also remain for a long time even after "washing" the face multiple times. As a result, dead skin cells shedding rate decreases and in turn, the skin looks dull, aged and dry in general.
Silicone does not promote healthy skin growth
Generally for skincare, we look for ingredients which will have nourishing properties that can aid to our skin looking and feeling healthier. But Silicone does not contain any skin-aiding agent, hence the usage of it does not bring any fruitful result in skincare.
Is there any healthier alternative to Silicone?
Fortunately, there are a number of natural alternative ingredients to Silicone that can be used as your gel-based moisturizer or even primer. If you have sensitive or oily and acne-prone skin which needs to use lighter, gel-based moisturizer, it is best to switch to non-coloured Aloe Vera gel as the most gentle alternative. While buying for a gel based moisturizer, look for products that come up with more sustainable natural elements rather than creating a false sense of instant gratification which will only lead to further skin damage.
 and tr.webp)
