Database/Antifoaming/Simethicone
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Simethicone natural?

No. Predominantly polydimethylsiloxane with minor silica; silicones are scored 0.0 by this site's fixed convention regardless of the mineral silica addition.

INCI nameSimethicone
CAS8050-81-5
FormulaC6H18O4Si3 · 238.46 Da
FunctionAntifoaming · Emollient
FeedstockA blend of dimethicone (silicone polymer) with a…

How we scored it

Mixture of polydimethylsiloxane (this site's convention 0.0) with a small hydrated-silica fraction; classed under the silicone family so scored 0.0 overall.
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

A blend of dimethicone (silicone polymer) with a small amount of hydrated silica added to boost antifoaming performance. The silicone majority is synthesised from silicon and methyl chloride.

In plain English

An antifoaming, conditioning ingredient made mostly of silicone with a little added silica. It is manufactured, not plant-derived, and this site scores all silicones as non-renewable.

CosIng definition: Silica, hydrated, compounds with poly(dimethylsiloxane)

Natural alternatives with the same function

Alcohol Denat. 100% natural origin

Plain alcohol (ethanol) with an additive so it can't be drunk. Used as a solvent and to help…

 Morus Alba Extract 100% natural origin

A white mulberry extract made from the whole plant, used to condition skin and as a humectant and…

 Pinene 100% natural origin

A fresh, pine-smelling hydrocarbon used as a fragrance ingredient. It is the main component of turpentine and is…

Structure

2D structure of Simethicone

dioxosilane;methoxy-dimethyl-trimethylsilyloxysilane

PubChem CID 6433516 ↗

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. 2Simethicone. PubChem CID 6433516. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3SIMETHICONE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4SIMETHICONE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SIMETHICONE