Is Silicone Really a Bad Ingredient? Silicone其實係咪真係咁得人驚?

What are silicones?

Silicones originally come from sand or silicon dioxide and there are many different kinds with different uses. When it comes to skin care and cosmetics you can find silicones in your ingredient lists by looking for names that end in -cone, -conol and -siloxane. There are also silicone polymers which include ingredients like dimethicone. Finally, there is also a category called functionalized silicones like amodimethicone. 

Why are silicones in beauty products?

Silicones have been used in creating beauty products since the 1950s! One major reason for this is they have a very low chance of reacting with other ingredients in a formula. Plus they are cruelty free, vegan, hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic! Wait, there’s more! They are great moisturizers for your skin and help formulas to more easily glide over your skin. Silicones in your skincare can increase the ability of other ingredients to more easily penetrate your skin barrier. 

In haircare, silicones coat the hair shaft making your hair feel smoother and they help protect your hair from heat damage from styling. Not only does it make hair feel soft and look shiny, because it protects the cuticles in your hair it can actually help to prevent snagging and further damage to hair. 

So why the bad reputation?

It’s true that silicones are not natural, and they are in fact synthetic and made in a lab. This is most likely why they have gotten such a bad reputation recently. While it’s true that products with natural and plant based ingredients are amazing for your skin it doesn’t mean that all synthetic ingredients are bad or dangerous. Research has not linked silicone to cancer or hormonal disruption and regulatory authorities around the world have concluded that silicones are not a risk to humans. 

Another common misconception is that silicone is irritating for sensitive skin or clogs pores. Both of these ideas are completely false! Silicones are actually hypoallergenic and it’s the reason they are often used in medical grade products. It’s true that silicone does form a film on top of your skin, however this layer is actually very thin and is permeable to oxygen and water molecules. In other words, silicones are not very occlusive and still allow your skin to “breathe” and also still allow for active ingredients in your skin care products to penetrate your skin. 

So if you see silicones in your skin care or cosmetics don’t be so quick to judge!

成日都聽人講話矽(Silicone)係化學物，用得多會堵塞毛孔搞到爆曬瘡，究竟佢係咪真係咁恐怖既成份?

首先我哋要有一個正確觀念-

化學物(chemical) ≠有害

空氣係chemical , 水係chemical , 就算連我哋人體都係有不同嘅化學物組成，好多時候廣告同新聞都過度扭曲化學物呢三個字，總之就嚇死人啦
https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/363-chemicals-everywhere

雖然我哋嘅產品入邊無用到矽，但係我覺得大家都可以用一個

Silicone其實係咩黎？

佢係由砂經過化學處理後形成不同種類嘅矽，而矽係有好多形態及作用，而當然佢亦有Cosmetic Grade啦。無論係化妝品、頭髮產品或者防曬都好常見，除咗可以令活性成份有效係皮膚上發揮最大功效之外，仲可以令肌膚變得平滑或者妝容更持久。普遍好多人都會驚「矽呢種化學成份會令皮膚敏感」，但其實佢係一種FDA認可既成份，而且有好多醫學研究都指出Silicone係極低敏，甚至醫院係治療傷口上面都會用。 咁當然如果本身對Silicone呢個成份有敏感就絕對唔建議使用啦。

矽會導致爆暗瘡？

第二樣最常聽人講嘅就係「矽會令皮膚毛孔堵塞，搞到爆暗瘡。」 Silicone會形成一層好薄既透氣膜，而活性成份其實係可以穿透Silicone深入皮膚，而且矽並唔係因為成份本身會堵塞毛孔，主要係因為矽相對黎講比較難清洗，所以當洗唔乾淨既時候就會因為過份積聚係皮膚表面而引致呢個情況。因為就算係天然化妝品，如果唔徹底清潔乾淨，都係會令你毛孔堵塞而影響皮膚健康。

咁點解你哋護髮素或者洗頭水產品入面唔加入矽？

雖然Silicone對受損既髮質有一個好好既保護作用，佢嘅分子較大其實都會被毛孔吸收，但由於香港既天氣長時間潮濕，Silicone會容易令個頭變塌，影響燙染頭髮後既效果，質感會較重唔夠「空氣感」，清洗方面就真係要再落力啲，特別頭油比較多嘅朋友未必會適合使用，所以我哋用其他植物成份去取代矽，令頭髮更加易清洗同打理。 呢篇文章係希望大家明白，並唔係所有化學物都有害，正如並非所有植物都一定係安全同有效，除咗有害嘅化學物質，植物都可以有毒或者令皮膚敏感，配方不當的護膚品或生活用品，都有機會影響健康，選擇產品嘅時候最重要係選擇只要成份安全、有效及溫和，不對人體有害為考慮重點。