Ingredients
The silicone limits changing how products feel
Two cyclic silicones drop to a 0.1% ceiling in leave-on products from June 2027. The reason is environmental, and the noticeable effect is texture.
- What they doSlip, spread, then evaporate cleanly away
- Why they are limitedThey persist and build up in the environment
- What you noticePrimers and hair oils feel different
On this pageWhat these ingredients are doing in your products5
Quick answer
The bottom line
From June 2027, two cyclic silicones known as D5 and D6 are limited to 0.1% in leave-on cosmetics in Europe, extending a restriction that already applied to rinse-off products. The reason is environmental rather than a health finding about your skin: these molecules persist and build up in the environment. What you will notice is texture. These silicones are what makes a primer glide, a hair serum feel weightless and vanish, and a "blurring" cream sit smoothly. Replacements exist and mostly work, though some feel heavier or need reapplying. If a product you love changes, the honest advice is to try the reformulated version before assuming it is ruined, and to judge on how it performs rather than on the ingredient list.
At a glance
Three things worth remembering
Section 01
What these ingredients are doing in your products
D5 and D6 are cyclic silicones. On an ingredient list they appear as cyclopentasiloxane and cyclohexasiloxane. They are light, spread easily, and evaporate off the skin or hair leaving a smooth surface behind.[2][1]
That combination is unusually useful. It is why a primer glides rather than drags, why a hair serum can add slip without weighing hair down, and why blurring creams sit evenly. Very few ingredients do all of that at once.[2]
Section 02
Why they are being restricted
The concern is what happens after the product goes down the drain. These molecules break down very slowly and accumulate in the environment, which is what chemicals regulation targets.[4][3]
That is a genuinely different reason from most cosmetic restrictions. It is not a finding about your skin, and silicones remain among the better-tolerated ingredients in cosmetics, rarely causing irritation or allergy.[4][1]
The rinse-off limit came first, on the reasoning that those products go straight into the water system. The leave-on extension follows the same logic to its conclusion, since what is on your skin eventually washes off too.[1][3]
Section 03
What you will notice
Texture, in specific categories. The products most affected are the ones built around that slip: primers, hair serums and oils, blurring and pore-filling creams, some deodorants and sunscreens.[2][1]
Replacements exist. Formulators use other silicones outside the restriction, or plant-derived esters and lightweight oils. They mostly work, and some feel slightly heavier, absorb differently or need reapplying more often.[2][5]
Section 04
When it happens
The leave-on limit applies from June 2027, and industry was given an extra year beyond the original timetable to reformulate. Rinse-off limits are already in force, and a related silicone has been prohibited in cosmetics since 2022.[1][3][4]
As with other European deadlines, the date applies to placing products on the market, so existing stock can remain on sale for a while afterwards.[5][1]
Section 05
What to do if a favourite changes
Try the new version before concluding it is ruined. Reformulation is routine, and formulators have had years of warning to work on replacements for exactly this.[2][1]
If it genuinely does not work for you, judge replacements on how they perform rather than on whether they contain silicones at all. There is no skin-health reason to avoid the category, and a silicone-free label tells you nothing about how a product will feel.[4][2]
Your next step
Turn this into a practical plan
Choose the guide that best matches what you see. Each one starts with what to try, how long to wait and when to get help.