The Silicone Feel: Why Removing or Adding Silicones Changes Everything

You open a new jar of your reformulated favorite. The label looks the same. The first application tells you it is not. The smooth, almost velvety glide is gone. In its place is something heavier, greasier, slower to absorb. The brand removed the silicones.

What silicones do in a formula

Silicones are synthetic polymers based on a silicon-oxygen backbone. In skincare, they serve as emollients, skin protectants and sensory modifiers. A review of moisturizer science classified silicones as a distinct emollient category with properties that plant oils and mineral oil do not replicate: very low surface tension, high spreadability, a non-greasy feel and the ability to form a breathable film [2].

The most common types:

Silicone	INCI name	Role in a formula
Dimethicone	Dimethicone	Skin protectant and emollient; gives slip and a matte finish
Cyclopentasiloxane	Cyclopentasiloxane	Volatile carrier; evaporates to leave a dry, silky feel
Dimethiconol	Dimethiconol	Higher-viscosity film-former; used in heavier creams
Phenyl trimethicone	Phenyl trimethicone	Adds shine and gloss; common in primers and serums

In a study of 174 best-selling US moisturizers, silicones were among the most prevalent ingredient categories [1].

Why removing silicones changes the product so much

Silicones affect nearly every sensory dimension of a product:

• Initial spread. Silicones lower friction, so the product glides rather than drags.
• Absorption speed. Volatile silicones like cyclopentasiloxane evaporate, creating a perception of fast absorption.
• Finish. Dimethicone leaves a smooth, non-tacky film that makes skin feel soft without shine.
• Layering. The film sits well under makeup and sunscreen, which is why silicones are used in primers.

In a sensory study, changing the emollient in an otherwise identical emulsion significantly changed how the product spread and how quickly it seemed to absorb [4]. Silicones were among the emollients that produced the fastest, smoothest spread.

When a reformulation replaces silicones with plant oils or esters, every one of these properties shifts. The product is not defective; it is a fundamentally different sensory experience.

Safety of silicones in skincare

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review expert panel reviewed cyclic silicones and concluded they are safe as used in cosmetic products [3]. Dimethicone has a long safety record and is used in medical skin protectants as well as cosmetics.

The EU has restricted the cyclic silicones D4 (cyclotetrasiloxane) and D5 (cyclopentasiloxane) in rinse-off products at concentrations above 0.1% due to environmental persistence, not skin safety [5]. This restriction does not apply to leave-on products, where these ingredients remain permitted.

Consumer avoidance of silicones is usually driven by personal preference or concerns about environmental impact, not by evidence of skin harm.

The “clean beauty” movement has positioned silicone removal as an improvement. This is marketing, not science. Replacing a well-tolerated, extensively studied ingredient with a less-studied natural alternative is not inherently safer. It is a reformulation that changes the product’s performance to match a trend, and trends are not peer-reviewed.

How to identify silicone types in a list

The INCI name tells you the silicone type, but not its viscosity or molecular weight. A product listing “dimethicone” could contain a 1-centistoke fluid or a 12500-centistoke paste. Both are dimethicone. They behave differently on skin.

Look for clues in the surrounding ingredients. If dimethicone appears alongside cyclopentasiloxane (volatile) and the product is described as lightweight, the dimethicone is likely low-viscosity. If dimethicone appears in a thick cream without a volatile silicone partner, it may be a higher-viscosity grade contributing to a heavier feel.

How to check for silicones in a replacement

Look for names ending in -cone, -conol, -siloxane or -methicone in the ingredient list. If they appear in the first half of the list, silicones are a major part of the formula’s feel. If they appear near the end, they are present but not dominant.

If your original…	And the replacement…	Expect…
Had silicones high on the list	Also has similar silicones	A similar feel, though not identical
Had silicones high on the list	Is silicone-free	A noticeably different feel: likely heavier, slower to absorb, less matte
Was silicone-free	Has silicones high on the list	A smoother, more primer-like feel; may feel less “natural”
Had silicones low on the list	Is silicone-free	A smaller difference, but the finish may still change

Silicone-free alternatives and their trade-offs

Brands replacing silicones typically use:

• Squalane for lightweight slip and fast absorption, though without silicone’s matte finish.
• C12-15 alkyl benzoate or isononyl isononanoate for dry-touch feel, though they lack silicone’s film-forming properties.
• Shea butter or plant oils for richness, which creates a different texture entirely.

None of these replicate the full silicone experience. They each approximate one aspect at the expense of others.

Volatile vs. non-volatile: a distinction that matters

Not all silicones behave the same way on skin:

Volatile silicones (cyclopentasiloxane, cyclohexasiloxane) evaporate after application. They carry other ingredients onto the skin and then disappear, leaving behind a dry, non-greasy finish. Products that feel like they “absorb instantly” often contain volatile silicones. When they are removed from a formula, the product feels wetter and takes longer to set.

Non-volatile silicones (dimethicone, dimethiconol) stay on the skin. They form the film that makes skin feel smooth hours later. They are the reason a moisturizer still feels silky at midday. When they are removed, the lasting feel disappears and the product feels like it wears off.

Many products use both: a volatile silicone for the initial application feel and a non-volatile one for the lasting film. A reformulation that removes only the volatile silicone changes the application experience. One that removes only the non-volatile silicone changes the wear time. One that removes both changes everything.

Silicone weight and viscosity

Even within the non-volatile category, silicones come in different molecular weights. A low-viscosity dimethicone (1 to 5 centistokes) feels thin and spreads easily. A high-viscosity dimethicone (100 to 12500 centistokes) feels heavier and more occlusive.

If your old product used a low-viscosity dimethicone and the replacement uses a high-viscosity one, the product will feel thicker and more coating even though both labels say “dimethicone.” The INCI name does not distinguish between them. You have to feel the product to know.

An illustrative example (hypothetical)

These products are hypothetical, used only to show the method.

A reader’s favorite primer-moisturizer hybrid was reformulated as “clean beauty” and the silicones were removed. The new version uses squalane and coconut alkanes in place of dimethicone and cyclopentasiloxane. The reader finds the new version greasier, slower to dry and incompatible with her foundation.

Characteristic	Original formula	Reformulation	Status
Key silicones	Dimethicone (position 3), cyclopentasiloxane	None	Does not match
Replacement emollients	N/A	Squalane, coconut alkanes	Different category
Application feel	Smooth, fast-drying, low friction	Greasy, slow to dry	Does not match
Finish	Matte, primer-like	Dewy, slightly oily	Does not match
Foundation compatibility	Excellent base	Pills under foundation	Does not match
Fragrance status	Light fragrance	“Clean” fragrance blend	Unknown

She checks the ingredient list of the old version (photographed before she finished the last tube) and confirms dimethicone was the third ingredient and cyclopentasiloxane was the fifth. She searches for a different brand’s moisturizer with dimethicone in a similar position and a volatile silicone for the dry-down. The replacement is from a different brand but achieves the same smooth, matte base she needed.

The reformulated version is not a worse product. It is a different product sold under the same name. And this is the trap that catches loyal customers of “clean beauty” reformulations: the brand positions the change as a moral improvement, but your skin is not evaluating morality. It is evaluating slip, absorption speed and matte-or-dewy finish, and on those axes, the new formula is a different product that the brand has not asked you to try. It has asked you to accept.

When you photograph the ingredient list of a product you love, also note the position of any silicones. The INCI name, the ranking and whether they are volatile or non-volatile: those three data points reconstruct the texture you are actually looking for if the product disappears.

Common traps

• Assuming “silicone-free” is an upgrade. Removing silicones is a marketing decision responding to consumer trends, not a formulation improvement. The replacement ingredients serve the same purpose less effectively for some skin types and preferences. Neither approach is objectively better.
• Blaming silicones for breakouts without testing. If a silicone-containing product caused breakouts, the silicone may not be the culprit. Emulsifiers, preservatives and fragrances are statistically more common causes of reactions. Eliminating silicones without testing isolates nothing.
• Treating all silicones as the same. Dimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane and phenyl trimethicone have different properties. A product that replaces cyclopentasiloxane with dimethicone has not “kept its silicones.” It has changed its silicone strategy.
• Ignoring silicone position in the list. Dimethicone at position 3 is a major part of the formula’s feel. Dimethicone at position 15 is a minor contributor. The difference between these products is larger than the difference between a silicone and a non-silicone alternative at position 15.

When silicones should be avoided

For most people, silicones in leave-on products are well tolerated. However:

• If you have confirmed through elimination testing that silicones cause breakouts for you, avoid them.
• If you prefer to avoid them for environmental reasons, that is a valid practical constraint to add to your replacement checklist. Note it in the ledger and move on. A constraint is not an argument, and it does not need to be.
• If your dermatologist has advised against occlusive ingredients for a specific condition, check with them about dimethicone.

The broader point is that silicone is one of the few ingredient categories where the gap between what the label tells you and what your face tells you is almost entirely about texture. With acids, the gap is about efficacy. With preservatives, the gap is about tolerability. With silicones, the gap is about feel, and feel is the thing a label was never designed to communicate. Your eulogy for the lost product almost certainly describes the feel. The ingredient list confirms the mechanism that produced it. The replacement search matches the mechanism, and then you test whether the feel follows. Sometimes it does. Sometimes two products with the same silicones at similar positions feel different because of the emulsifier system or the water phase or the thickener, and then the ledger gains another row in the unknown column. That is not failure. That is the ledger doing its job, which is to separate what you can confirm from the shelf from what only your skin can confirm on your face.

For more on how to separate the attributes of a product that matter to you, see our guide on identifying what you actually liked about a product.

When to see a clinician. If you have persistent breakouts and suspect a product ingredient, a dermatologist can help identify the cause through controlled elimination or patch testing. Self-diagnosis of comedogenicity is unreliable because many factors contribute to breakouts. Seek urgent care for swelling, widespread rash or signs of infection.