Database/Emollient/Cyclotetrasiloxane
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Cyclotetrasiloxane natural?

No. A silicone, classified 0.0 by this site's explicit convention even though its silicon-oxygen backbone originates from mineral silica.

INCI nameCyclotetrasiloxane
CAS556-67-2
FormulaH8O4Si4 · 184.40 Da
FunctionEmollient · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockManufactured synthetically from silicon metal and methyl chloride…

How we scored it

Cyclic dimethyl siloxane; this site's convention rates all silicones 0.0 regardless of the mineral-derived Si-O backbone.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Manufactured synthetically from silicon metal and methyl chloride via the Direct Process, then cyclised. Rated 0.0 under this site's silicone convention regardless of feedstock.

In plain English

A lightweight silicone used to give skin and hair a silky, non-greasy feel and help products spread easily. It is a manufactured silicone, not a plant or mineral extract, despite starting from mined silicon.

CosIng definition: Cyclotetrasiloxane is the cyclic dimethyl polysiloxane that conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Cyclotetrasiloxane

1,3,5,7,2,4,6,8-tetraoxatetrasilocane

PubChem CID 185471 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2Cyclotetrasiloxane. PubChem CID 185471. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CYCLOTETRASILOXANE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CYCLOTETRASILOXANE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CYCLOTETRASILOXANE