Silicones and silicone alternatives 1st Published in SPC - 2015

The first reference to the use of silicones in cosmetics found by the author was an article published in 1953 [Ref 1]. Further articles rapidly followed as dermatologists evaluated the properties of this new class of materials as protective agents. The first paper to appear in the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists was in 1955 [Ref 2], which described methods to evaluate the relative cutaneous protection afforded by topical application of silicone fluids. This was followed in 1956 by a paper [Ref 3] describing the chemical structure and physical properties of silicone fluids, silicone esters and dimethicone copolyols. Now silicones are one of the most commonly found group of materials across all product categories.