simethicone ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily an antifoaming and skin-protective agent, used to reduce foam in formulas and create a smooth, breathable barrier feel on skin. It also improves slip in creams, lotions, and treatment products.
What does simethicone do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily an antifoaming and skin-protective agent, used to reduce foam in formulas and create a smooth, breathable barrier feel on skin. It also improves slip in creams, lotions, and treatment products.
Is simethicone clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally low-irritation and chemically inert on skin, but it is often flagged because it is a synthetic silicone material. Some standards restrict this class due to persistence and possible trace cyclic siloxane residues from manufacturing.
Is simethicone sustainable?
This material is made from mineral-derived silicon chemistry and petrochemical methylating inputs rather than renewable feedstocks. It is not readily biodegradable and can persist in wastewater sludge and sediment, which creates sustainability friction.
Is simethicone COSMOS-approved?
This ingredient is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards. Its Green Chemistry fit is weak because it relies on nonrenewable inputs and has limited biodegradability, even though it can be effective at very low use levels.
How does simethicone work chemically?
The molecule is a methylated siloxane polymer blended with finely divided mineral particles, giving it strong surface-tension-lowering and foam-breaking behavior. It is broadly pH-stable, oxidation-resistant, and typically used at low levels in personal care formulas, often well below 1% when used for foam control.
Last updated 2026-05-13