Because this is an occlusive ingredient, it has been a matter of debate whether it can cause pore clogging and irritation and prevent other ingredients from being absorbed into the skin. The truth is that silicone is non-comedogenic and non-allergenic. You might even consider them ‘cleaner’ since Dimethicone is purely synthetic. Vegetable oils and butters can actually be very complex, pressed from plants and have a higher chance of containing potential allergens.
Plus, it does have an occlusive effect, but that’s actually a basic function of a moisturizer and not as scary as sticking a plastic film on your face.
Polymethylsiloxane has actually been included in the FDA’s patent for skin protection pharmaceutical products (I know this is very surprising to me, but we are constantly evolving and upgrading our knowledge along the way). But for any ingredient, Amanda recommends that everyone do a skin test first to confirm there is no excessive reaction before use.
