Ingredient

Dimethicone

A silicone that forms a light film and slows water loss. A recognized over-the-counter skin protectant, and what makes most moisturizers feel smooth rather than greasy.
Dr. Schwarz, MD · Board-certified dermatologistLast reviewed September 8, 2026
Three cream tubes on white: Nurture Valley Barrier Cream, Secura Dimethicone Protectant and Medline Remedy Moisturize

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Dimethicone is the ingredient people are most often told to avoid for reasons that do not hold up. It is a silicone that sits on the surface, slows water evaporating out of the skin, and makes a cream feel smooth instead of greasy. I use it constantly — hands that crack in winter, raw skin around the nose after a cold, a face over-treated with too many actives. It does not fix what is underneath, so it makes eczema or a too-fast retinoid start more comfortable while you treat the actual cause.

— Dr. Schwarz, Board Certified Dermatologist

Key Facts

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Also calledPolydimethylsiloxane, PDMS, dimeticone (the spelling used outside the United States)
TypeSilicone polymer. An occlusive, meaning it works by covering rather than by soaking in
Strengths sold1% to 30% in over-the-counter skin protectant products. Smaller amounts in serums, primers and hair products. Scar gels and sheets are close to pure silicone
UseMorning, night, or both. There is no limit on how often
Time to workImmediately on comfort and feel. A few weeks for a damaged barrier. Months for scars
Prescription neededNo

What It Is

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Dimethicone is a silicone — a long chain of alternating silicon and oxygen atoms with small methyl groups along the sides, which is where the name polydimethylsiloxane comes from. It is made in a lab. There is no natural or plant version. Chains can be short or long. Short chains are thin and runny, long chains thick and almost rubbery, and most products blend several lengths for the feel they want. A number after the name, such as dimethicone 350, describes how thick that silicone is, not the percentage in the product. In the United States, dimethicone at 1% to 30% is a recognized active under the FDA's over-the-counter skin protectant rules. A product in that range can carry a Drug Facts panel and claim it protects skin and relieves chapping. Below 1% it is a cosmetic ingredient, there for texture.

How It Works

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Dimethicone works entirely on the surface. The molecule is far too large to pass into skin, so none is absorbed and nothing about it changes how skin cells behave.

It forms a film that repels water without being airtight. That slows the rate water evaporates out of the skin, called transepidermal water loss, while still letting gas through. Petrolatum seals almost completely and feels heavy. Dimethicone seals partly and feels like nothing. A wetter environment lets the skin's own repair machinery work faster, which is how cracked or stripped skin gets back to normal.

The film does two mechanical jobs as well. It fills the microscopic gaps between rough, lifting cells, so skin looks smoother and makeup sits flatter within a minute. And it keeps irritants off — saliva, urine, sweat, friction — which is why it is the standard base for barrier creams used on diaper rash and around wounds and stomas.

How silicone works on scars is still not settled. Holding a healing scar hydrated under a silicone gel or sheet appears to tell the collagen-producing cells underneath to slow down. The evidence is best for raised scars, and silicone is the usual first recommendation.

Here is where Dimethicone acts in the skin, and what the others do instead.

About Dimethicone
Compare
Skin basics
SEALS WATER INSTAYS ON THE SURFACELOOSENS DEAD SKINPULLS WATER INPULLS WATER INFILLS THE GAPSFILLS THE GAPS

An occlusive sits on the surface and slows water escaping. It adds nothing to the skin; it stops what is already there from leaving, which is why it works best over damp skin. Lighter than petrolatum and less greasy, so people actually use it.

Dimethicone is a silicone, too large to cross the barrier. It spreads into a breathable film on the surface, which is why it seals without the heaviness of an ointment.

These acids work at the surface. They break the bonds holding dead cells to each other, so the top layer sheds more evenly. Skin looks smoother and brighter, and anything applied afterwards gets in more easily.

A humectant draws water into the outer layer and holds it there. Skin holding more water is plumper and more flexible, and fine lines caused by dryness soften within minutes. Seal it with something on top or in dry air the water can simply evaporate away.

A humectant draws water into the outer layer and holds it there. Skin holding more water is plumper and more flexible, and fine lines caused by dryness soften within minutes. Seal it with something on top or in dry air the water can simply evaporate away.

Emollients are oils and lipids that sit in the spaces between the cells of the outer layer, the mortar between the bricks. They fill those gaps rather than covering them over, so skin feels smoother straight away, water stays in and irritants stay out.

Emollients are oils and lipids that sit in the spaces between the cells of the outer layer, the mortar between the bricks. They fill those gaps rather than covering them over, so skin feels smoother straight away, water stays in and irritants stay out.

The outermost layer, and the one every moisturizer is aiming at. It is dead — flattened cells stacked like bricks, with a mix of fats as the glue between them. That glue is what holds water in and keeps irritants out.

The outer layer, and the only one anything in a jar reaches. It renews itself constantly: a cell made at the bottom takes about a month to reach the surface and flake off. Most of what a skincare product does, it does here.

The living layer underneath, holding the blood vessels, the nerves and the collagen. It is where lasting change happens and it is hard to reach: most of what is sold for the skin never gets this far.

What It Treats

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Head Lice

Moderate evidence

A silicone lotion that coats and suffocates the lice rather than poisoning them, so resistance is not an issue with it. It is left on for the stated time — often several hours or overnight — and repeated a week later. It is a good option for a child who has already failed permethrin, and it is gentle on the scalp.

Dry Skin (Xerosis)

Dry Skin (Xerosis)

Moderate evidence

A silicone that forms a breathable seal over the skin, so it holds water in without the greasiness of petrolatum. That makes it the practical option for hands during the day and for anywhere clothes have to go straight back on. It seals but replaces nothing, so it works best in a cream that also contains ceramides or glycerin.

Forms

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Dimethicone turns up in almost every category of skin product without being the point of it. In moisturizers it is a supporting occlusive alongside glycerin and petrolatum. In primers and long-wear foundations it is doing texture work. Two places it is genuinely the treatment — barrier creams, where it is the labeled active, and silicone scar products, which are silicone and little else.

A row of Dimethicone products sold as barrier cream, photographed on white.
The labeled active
Barrier cream
Listed with its percentage in a Drug Facts box. Made for hands, and for skin against wet.
A row of Dimethicone products sold as moisturizer, photographed on white.
Where it usually sits
Moisturizer
Partway down the list, giving a cream its slip and holding water in.
A row of Dimethicone products sold as scar gel, photographed on white.
Silicone as the treatment
Scar gel
Painted on and left to dry. Worn for months, not days.
A row of Dimethicone products sold as scar sheet, photographed on white.
The same idea, stuck on
Scar sheet
An adhesive silicone strip worn over a healed scar. Washable and reusable.
A row of Dimethicone products sold as diaper cream, photographed on white.
With zinc oxide
Diaper cream
Silicone plus zinc against constant wet. A different job from moisturizing.

Strengths

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Percentage matters less here than with an active drug, because dimethicone does a physical job. What matters more is how thick the film ends up and what else is in the product. The number in a Drug Facts box tells you whether the silicone is there for feel or for protection.

WeakestStrongest
Under 1%1% to 10%10% to 30%Close to 100%
Texture only
Under 1%
Not enough to protect anything. It gives slip and stops a cream feeling tacky.
Everyday moisturizers
1% to 10%
The usual range in products carrying a skin protectant claim. Comfortable under sunscreen and makeup.
Barrier creams
10% to 30%
Thick, often visibly shiny, and meant to stay put. The range for diaper rash, incontinence, drooling rashes and hands wet all day.
Scar gels and sheets
Close to 100%
Silicone with almost nothing added. For healed scars, not moisturizing.

Basics

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When to Apply
Last, or nearly last. Dimethicone is a lid, so anything meant to sink in goes on first. Morning, night or both, as often as skin needs it.
How to Start
No ramp-up. Apply a normal amount to slightly damp skin after washing. For a barrier cream, a visible layer is the point. For a scar product, wait until the wound has closed, then a thin layer twice a day for two to three months.
If It Irritates
Dimethicone itself rarely irritates, and true allergy is unusual. If a product containing it stings, a fragrance, a preservative or another active is the likelier cause. Try a plain fragrance-free version before blaming the silicone.
If It's Not Working
Dimethicone will not fix inflamed skin. If dryness returns within hours, add glycerin underneath or move to a thicker ointment. Skin that is red, itchy and flaking is inflamed, and needs treatment rather than a better moisturizer.

Sample Routine

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Here is where Dimethicone sits in a day, and what goes around it. Pick what you are treating and what your skin is like, and the rest of the routine changes to suit.

What to Expect

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Within minutes | Feel
Skin feels smooth and less tight. Roughness softens as the film fills the gaps.
Days 1 to 3 | Comfort
Chapping, tightness and stinging settle.
Weeks 1 to 4 | Repair
Stripped or over-treated skin returns to normal, and dryness stops returning between applications.

What to Avoid

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  • Dimethicone conflicts with very little Most of it is about the order you apply things in.
  • Putting it on before an active A prescription cream, a retinoid or an acid applied over a silicone film may not reach the skin. Treatment first, dimethicone after.
  • Using it on skin that is not clean It is not antibacterial, and sealing a film over sweat, makeup or grime ends in irritated, bumpy skin. This is the grain of truth behind most complaints about silicones.
  • Applying scar gel to an open wound Silicone scar products are for skin that has closed over.
  • Rinsing with water alone Some silicone-heavy products are stubborn to remove. On your face, use a real cleanser at the end of the day.
  • The folklore Silicone-free is a marketing position, not a safety finding. No reason to avoid a moisturizer for containing dimethicone.

If You Stop

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Nothing happens beyond losing the effect. The film comes off with the next wash and skin goes back to whatever it would have been, usually within a day. No rebound dryness, no dependency, no adjustment period. If you were using it to help a damaged barrier, that barrier genuinely repaired and stays repaired, as long as whatever damaged it has stopped. What you lose is protection against it happening again. Scars are the one place where stopping early matters. Silicone works while a scar is still remodeling, roughly the first year. A few weeks is not a fair trial.

Ask Your Doctor

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If you develop a rash, itching or swelling where you apply it: True allergy to dimethicone is rare. Something else in the product is likelier.
If a barrier cream is not holding a rash that keeps returning: A persistent rash under a diaper, a dressing or an incontinence pad may be yeast or infection. A barrier cream will not fix it.
If a scar you are treating is spreading beyond the original wound: It may be a keloid, and there are treatments beyond silicone.
If you are applying it to a burn, a surgical site or skin that has not closed: Ask what belongs on a wound before it heals over.
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding
Ask the doctor managing your pregnancy about anything you apply.

How It Compares

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Four ointments on white: CeraVe Healing Ointment, a Vaseline jar, a petroleum jelly tube and Aquaphor16:9 hero for Petrolatum. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.

Petrolatum

Better

The most effective occlusive there is, and cheaper. Dimethicone seals less completely but feels far lighter, which is the reason people keep using it.

Five moisturizer bottles containing glycerin lined up on white, including a bottle of pure vegetable glycerin16:9 hero for Glycerin. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.

Glycerin

Different job

Works the opposite way, by pulling water into the skin rather than holding it in. The two are usually combined rather than chosen between.

Four ceramide moisturizers lined up on white: two tubes, a CeraVe tub and a blue jar16:9 hero for Ceramides. Never cropped: the tone strip and the corner logo depend on the full frame.

Ceramides

Different job

Replace the fats the barrier is built from instead of covering it over. Slower, and aimed at the cause rather than the symptom.

Mineral oil

The same

A similar job with a slightly heavier feel, and the same reputation problem for the same non-scientific reasons.

Silicone sheets versus silicone gel

The same

For scars, similar evidence for both. Sheets stay in place longer and suit flat areas that clothing can cover. Gel is easier on the face, on joints, and anywhere a sheet will not stay stuck.

Myths

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  • "Silicones clog pores." The big one, and it deserves a real answer rather than a flat denial. Dimethicone is not comedogenic on its own. It does not oxidize, it does not feed the bacteria involved in acne, and the molecule is too large to get into a pore, let alone plug one. Silicones score at or near zero in standard comedogenicity testing, and dermatologists use silicone-based moisturizers routinely on acne-prone skin.
  • What is true silicones make heavy formulas feel light. A rich cream or long-wear foundation can be loaded with waxes and oils and still feel weightless, so people use more of it, leave it on longer, and remove it less thoroughly than they would something greasy. If a product containing dimethicone breaks you out, the cause is usually something else in the formula or how it is removed. The breakouts are real, and being told the ingredient is inert does not help. Change the product. Writing off every silicone is a different matter.
  • "Silicones suffocate the skin." Skin does not breathe. It gets oxygen from blood, not air. A dimethicone film is not airtight either, which is why it feels lighter than petrolatum.
  • "Silicones build up on the skin." They come off with an ordinary cleanser. No accumulation, no special removal step.
  • "Silicones stop your other products from working." Anything applied underneath gets in normally. Anything applied on top may not. That is order, not the ingredient.
  • "Silicones are banned in Europe." Regulators there have restricted certain small, volatile silicones, the ring-shaped cyclotetrasiloxane and cyclopentasiloxane, over how long they persist in the environment. Dimethicone is a different, non-volatile polymer and has been treated separately. The wider class has been examined. Dimethicone was not banned.

Questions Patients Ask

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Does dimethicone clog pores?

Not on its own. It does not oxidize, does not feed acne bacteria, and is too large to enter a pore. Silicone makes heavy products feel light, so people over-apply and under-remove them. If a product is breaking you out, change the product rather than the ingredient.

Is dimethicone absorbed into the body?

No. The molecule is too large to cross the skin. That is part of why it has such a long safety record and is used on babies, on broken-out skin and around wounds.

What is the difference between dimethicone and petrolatum?

The same job with different trade-offs. Petrolatum seals water in more completely and is the stronger of the two. Dimethicone seals less completely but feels smooth rather than greasy, so it is easier to wear in the day and under makeup. Many products contain both.

Do I need a special cleanser to remove silicones?

No. Any ordinary cleanser removes it. The double-cleanse idea comes from long-wear makeup, not moisturizer.

Does silicone gel really work on scars?

For raised scars, yes, and it is the usual first recommendation. It works slowly, needs near-daily use for months, and does more for redness, itch and thickness than for size. For flat or indented scars it does much less.

Is dimethicone safe to use in pregnancy?

It is not absorbed through the skin, which is why people ask. Even so, run anything you use past the doctor managing your pregnancy.

References

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