Safety Assessment of Dimethicone Crosspolymers as Used in Cosmetics

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (Panel) reviewed the safety of 62 dimethicone crosspolymer ingredients as used in cosmetics. These ingredients function mostly as absorbents, bulking agents, film formers, hair-conditioning agents, emollient skin-conditioning agents, slip modifiers, surface modifiers, and nonaqueous viscosity-increasing agents. The Panel reviewed available animal and human data related to these polymers and addressed the issue of residual monomers. The Panel concluded that these dimethicone crosspolymer ingredients are safe in the practices of use and concentration as given in this safety assessment.