Silica
Also recorded as: Silicon dioxide, silicon dioxide
Texture, absorbency, suspension, or flow-support ingredient depending on the grade and formula. A label name does not reveal particle form, grade, concentration, or the exact job in the finished product.
- Ingredient family
- Formula support
- Research state
- Family / sourcing evidence
- Source labels checked
- July 21, 2026
- Found in
- 1 researched product
Read it through four separate lenses.
Formula job
Formula supportTexture, absorbency, suspension, or flow-support ingredient depending on the grade and formula.
How we classify formula rolesBeard hair + skin
Sensitivity contextNIOSH distinguishes amorphous silica and identifies inhalation and eye/skin contact routes. An oil is not the same exposure as workplace respirable dust, and the product label does not reveal form.
See the skin + hair evidenceEnvironmental evidence
Form and exposure determine concernCrystalline versus amorphous form, particle size, surface treatment, and whether dust can become airborne are more important than the word “silica” alone.
See the environmental limitsSensitivity + confidence
Inhalation-form caveatNIOSH distinguishes amorphous silica and identifies inhalation and eye/skin contact routes. An oil is not the same exposure as workplace respirable dust, and the product label does not reveal form.
Moderate confidenceA useful formula role is not proof of beard growth, treatment of a skin condition, lower environmental impact, or suitability for every person. Finished-product behavior depends on concentration, processing, the rest of the formula, use pattern, and individual response.
Compare this formula job
Use the formula guide to place this ingredient inside the product's base, support system, exposure pattern, and complete label.
Open the comparisonHuman + environmental evidence
What deserves attention—and why.
Hazard is not the same as real-world risk. Exposure, dose, formula, wastewater treatment, farming location, and supplier controls can change the conclusion.
Crystalline versus amorphous form, particle size, surface treatment, and whether dust can become airborne are more important than the word “silica” alone.
NIOSH distinguishes amorphous silica and identifies inhalation and eye/skin contact routes. An oil is not the same exposure as workplace respirable dust, and the product label does not reveal form.
No exact particle-grade aquatic test, sediment behavior, or release estimate is assigned.
Mine or manufacturing origin, energy, dust control, land disturbance, and plant/soil endpoints are not disclosed.
Silica will not biodegrade like an organic ingredient; environmental behavior depends on particle form, dissolution, aggregation, and surface treatment.
The label does not disclose amorphous/crystalline content, particle distribution, surface treatment, or production site.
The occupational hazard of respirable crystalline silica should not be copied onto a non-aerosol cosmetic without confirming the material and exposure.
What to ask the supplier for.
Require a cosmetic-grade certificate stating amorphous/crystalline content, respirable fraction, particle-size distribution, surface treatment, heavy metals, and worker dust controls; prefer a supplier with mine/process traceability and energy/emissions data.
Product occurrence ledger
Where we found it.
List position is a location clue only. It is not a concentration estimate, and formulas can change after our source check.
Human clinical results
What controlled tests add to this record.
An ingredient study is not a trial of every product containing that ingredient.
No qualifying clinical result is assigned.
The current record may still include regulatory, cosmetic-function, or safety-assessment evidence. Those sources are useful for their stated purpose but are not clinical proof of skin, hair, or finished-product performance.
What remains unknown.
Exact level is not disclosed on the product labels we recorded.
Grade, refining, solvents, and other processing details are usually absent.
Residuals and contaminants are not specified by an ordinary INCI list.
Synergy or antagonism with other ingredients is a finished-formula question.
Manufacturing, transport, packaging, dose, and disposal remain outside an ingredient-only profile.
Evidence ledger
Open the source behind the summary.
A source supports only the claim named beside it. Database inclusion is not a blanket approval, and an assessed ingredient does not rate every finished product.
- 01European Commission
CosIng cosmetic ingredient database
Standard ingredient names and cosmetic functions. Database inclusion is not, by itself, a safety approval.
Last checked July 13, 2026 - 02U.S. Food & Drug Administration
Cosmetic ingredients
The U.S. regulatory context: most cosmetic ingredients are not preapproved, and the marketer is responsible for product safety.
Last checked July 13, 2026