What are the skin benefits of Dimethicone?Updated a year ago
While dimethicone may not be a sexy skin renewing active like some of our favorite heavy-hitters (namely retinol, vitamin C, and AHA), it still offers some profound benefits that make it incredibly useful in formulas like Water Lock.
- It’s a skin protectant: Dimethicone is insoluble in water, so it stays put well even when rinsed. This is why it’s such a popular ingredient in waterproof makeup, but this also makes it valuable as a skin protectant against irritating external forces. For decades now, it’s been used in medical settings to protect barrier-disrupted skin.
- Scar reducer: Silicone sheets and gels both show promising scar reduction ability, especially when it comes to slightly raised scars which are notoriously tough to treat. There’s some debate as to why silicones are able to do this, but experts theorize it may have to do with how silicones occlude and protect the skin, or to do with their ability to improve cell proliferation.
- Prevents transepidermal water loss: Multiplestudiesshow that dimethicone and other silicones when formulated correctly, are able to keep the skin hydrated by preventing transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Depending on the research, you’ll see different rates of TEWL decrease. That’s because dimethicone’s occlusive (i.e., moisture-sealing) capacities change based on how it’s formulated. When creating Water Lock, our focus was on optimizing its hydrating effects by adding other hydrating and moisture-sealing ingredients.
- Immediate skin smoothing: Dimethicone is considered an “astringent emollient” which means it smooths down dry or flaky skin and imparts a silky feel, but it’s also kind of dry and non-oily. It makes the skin look and feel immediately better, while also keeping it moisturized in the long term.