Not All Heroes Wear Capes: Cyclopentasiloxane

Turner, L. (2016, November 6). Toiletries, Clarendon [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/theogeo/30704571862/in/photolist-NMfXu3-75o4mC-bpbkc5-2hrpUjo-2kjuPnS-Q63T9r-bhB1Lz-2eFq8Yj-28K8uq9-4iZSqo-7jge64-5wABHV-6j4gu7-ck6rx-e8Rjo9-6EL2Uu-rs4X2-6cB4CQ-5k9UNL-aXcyKt-52KXZb-2jQcMn8-6zPEEA-nRcdax-2tW3hk-9UAoNr-bhFHaB-9iSULs-UVsj7M-5L2vDw-5B6iXK-9MWqaP-9bNoNB-5Wt6v2-9aZNPo-RNdyH-6TsiuF-Djafs-5jG6sS-4Ya5Ni-7L5W8W-7vnPiN-gHY9sY-32dbzo-5LG25j-7CNATe-UKAsjh-c978C-2g2CbUE-5fQqcN

Ever get into a sticky situation similar to the image above? Either as the one causing trouble or catching the trouble maker red-handed? Have no fear, cyclopentasiloxane is here to the rescue. 

Cyclopentasiloxane is also known as D5 is a silicon compound that is a colourless, odourless liquid and is relatively thin, silky and slippery (SpecialChem, 2021). D5 is commonly found in hundreds of cosmetics and personal care products such as shampoo, deodorant and sunscreen sprays (Cafasso, 2019). 

The chemical formula for D5 is C10H30O5Si5 meaning that it is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and silicon molecules (Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane, 2013; National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2021). It is typically created in the laboratory through a process called acid hydrolysis which uses acid to catalyze the breakage of a chemical bond with the help of the addition of water (Moretto et al., 2000; National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2021).

D5 is useful because it soothes and hydrates the skin by trapping in moisture, improves the feel and appearance of hair, can dissolve other substances and helps thickens up products so they can form a nice gel-like texture (National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2021; SpecialChem, 2021).

D5 is limited to a concentration of 0.1% within the personal care products that we tend to wash off like shampoo and conditioner by the European Union on January 31, 2020 (Cafasso, 2019; The Derm Review, 2020). So D5 is safe for yourself and the environment because it does not get absorbed into your skin and usually evaporates as you use it (Cafasso, 2019). D5 will not harm our precious aquatic wildlife like dolphins and fishes (Cafasso, 2019). 

In the case, if someone you know or yourself breathes in D5 maybe through sunscreen sprays and hairspray have no fear because it is either quickly breathed out or broken down in your body and eliminated in your pee (Cafasso, 2019). 

So it’s fine if you decide to have fun like the little boy in the picture above but do not make it a habit as there are other chemicals in those products that may cause harm to the environment and aquatic wildlife. 

References

Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane. (2013). In The Merck index: An encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs, and biologicals. Retrieved March 3, 2021, from https://www.rsc.org/Merck-Index/monograph/m4122/decamethylcyclopentasiloxane?q=unauthorize

Cafasso, J. (2019). Cyclopentasiloxane in cosmetics: Is it safe? Retrieved March 3, 2021, from https://www.healthline.com/health/cyclopentasiloxane

Moretto, H.‐H., Schulze, M. and Wagner, G. (2000). Silicones. In Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry, (Ed.). https://doi.org/10.1002/14356007.a24_057

National Center for Biotechnology Information (2021). PubChem Compound Summary for CID 10913, Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane. Retrieved March 3, 2021, from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Decamethylcyclopentasiloxane

SpecialChem. (2021). Cyclopentasiloxane. Retrieved March 3, 2021, from https://cosmetics.specialchem.com/inci/cyclopentasiloxane

The Derm Review. (2020). Why does cyclopentasiloxane have a bad reputation? Retrieved March 3, 2021, from https://thedermreview.com/cyclopentasiloxane/