Polysilicone-11
Silicone
No known benefits
Polysilicone-11 at a glance
- Synthetic silicone that serves as a thickener and film-forming agent
- Sets to a powdery-soft, non-greasy finish
- Almost always used with other silicones, typically dimethicone
- Considered safe as used in cosmetics
Polysilicone-11 description
Polysilicone-11 is a synthetic silicone made by crosslinking bis-vinyldimethicone and hydrogen dimethicone. Its primary role in cosmetics is as a thickener and film-forming agent. It’s almost always used with other silicones to create elevated, silky, powdery-soft textures and finishes. Polysilicone-11 is considered a silicone elastomer, a special kind of polymer whose film-forming properties have a flexible, mesh-like effect. In other words, contrary to myth, this silicone doesn’t suffocate skin or clog pores. A wide range of usage levels are in play in various rinse-off and leave-on cosmetics: it may be used in concentrations as low as 0.04% to upwards of 19.9%, although a safety assessment showed even higher amounts were non-irritating.
