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Hydrogen Dimethicone

What Hydrogen Dimethicone is & what it does

A reactive silicone used to coat mineral pigments and filters so they disperse evenly and resist clumping. It improves spread and reduces white cast.

What is Hydrogen Dimethicone and what does it do in sunscreen?

Hydrogen Dimethicone is a reactive silicone used to coat mineral pigments and filters so they disperse evenly and resist clumping. In a mineral or tinted sunscreen it improves spread and reduces white cast, helping the zinc or titanium go on more sheer. The result is a smoother, more even layer of protection.

Is Hydrogen Dimethicone safe?

Yes. In a finished product Hydrogen Dimethicone is bonded onto the pigment or filter surface and behaves as an inert silicone coating that stays on the skin's surface. Silicones of this type have a long record of safe, well-tolerated use in cosmetics. For most people it is non-irritating at the levels used in sunscreen.

Does Hydrogen Dimethicone clog pores?

Generally no. Hydrogen Dimethicone is a thin silicone coating on mineral particles rather than a heavy oil or wax, and silicones are usually treated as low on the comedogenicity scale. By helping minerals spread thinly it can make a formula feel lighter on the skin. As always, very acne-prone skin should consider the whole formula rather than this one ingredient.

Why is Hydrogen Dimethicone used to coat minerals in sunscreen?

Coating mineral filters like zinc oxide and titanium dioxide with Hydrogen Dimethicone keeps the particles from clumping and helps them disperse evenly through the formula. That even spread is what reduces white cast and gives a smoother finish. It is a behind-the-scenes step that makes mineral sunscreens more wearable.

Is Hydrogen Dimethicone natural?

No, it is synthetic. Hydrogen Dimethicone is a silicone made in the lab and does not occur in nature. Synthetic here simply means it was engineered to coat and disperse mineral particles, not that it is unsafe.

Sunscreens with Hydrogen Dimethicone

We rate 297 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

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