Silicone oil

Silicone oils are clear, colorless, neutral, odorless, hydrophobic liquid silicones with a very wide viscosity range.

Silicone oils are insoluble in water and also insoluble in methanol, glycol, paraffinum liq. Silicone oils are miscible with ethanol, cetyl alcohol, lauric and stearic acid.

Silicone oils are usually dimethylpolysiloxanes with different chain lengths. They are water-repellent, heat-resistant and are not attacked and decomposed by dilute acids and alkalis.

There are also very low-viscosity silicone oils, e.g. the simplest silicone oil, hexamethyldisiloxane. Hexamethyldisiloxane is suspected of being carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic to reproduction.

Silicone oils are the basis for defoamer preparations.

Silicone oils with different viscosity grades have found a broad access to cosmetic preparations. They are used as base in skin care creams and oils, in pomades and lipsticks, sun protection ointments. The advantage of silicone oil containing topicals is that they are absorbed very quickly into the skin and do not leave a greasy film which may be a hindrance for hands in daily use (e.g. with paper).

Silicone oils provide mixtures with cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, lauric acid, stearic acid, cocoa oil which have a good shelf life. Due to their hydrophobicity they are preferred components of skin protection products and are used as massage oil, as fixative for fragrances, as lubricant in condoms.