Database/Anticaking/Silica Dimethyl Silylate
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Silica Dimethyl Silylate natural?

Mostly. Bulk of the material is mineral silica; only the thin dimethylsilyl surface coating, from petrochemical chlorosilane, is non-natural.

INCI nameSilica Dimethyl Silylate
CAS68611-44-9
FunctionAnticaking · Antifoaming
FeedstockMade by reacting mineral fumed silica with dichlorodimethylsilane…

How we scored it

Fumed silica (mineral, natural) surface-treated with dimethyldichlorosilane; treatment is typically ~5% of particle mass. 0.95x1 (silica) + 0.05x0 (dimethylsilyl, petrochemical) = 0.95.
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

Made by reacting mineral fumed silica with dichlorodimethylsilane (from methyl chloride and silicon) to hydrophobise the particle surface. The silica core dominates the mass; the surface treatment is petrochemical.

In plain English

A treated mineral silica powder used to thicken and stabilise formulas and prevent caking. It's mostly natural mineral silica with a thin synthetic surface coating for water resistance.

CosIng definition: Silane, dichlorodimethyl-, reaction products with silica

Natural alternatives with the same function

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. 2SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3SILICA DIMETHYL SILYLATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SILICA%20DIMETHYL%20SILYLATE