Why is there CONES in most skincare products?
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free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2007 11:28 am

I just wonder what the cones is supposed to do for your skin. Does anyone know? It seems most skincare products use some sort of cones as one or more of the ingredients. Is it there to fill in the gap to mask the wrinkles? I can't imagine its having any actual remediation effect.

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2007 12:11 pm

I know I am behind the times but what are cones? I tried goggling it but didn't come up with anything that made sense.

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2007 12:17 pm

Cat, she is referring to silicones.

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2007 12:20 pm

There's lots of information on the internet about silicones, i.e. "cones" for cosmetic purposes. They are controversial, but as you say, found in so many products. I try to stay away from them, but sometimes it is impossible!

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2007 5:50 pm

I really don't like cones in my facial products. I have tried different things with cones and I will have clogged pores, etc. with continued use.

Cones are also in hair products; this is ok with my hair and it seems to smooth it down, etc.

I think they do make skin and hair feel smoother so that is why they add them.

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:24 pm

Silcones are added to products for various reasons. For example, most foundations have them to provide "slip" to the product. Think of this as the way the product "spreads" on the skin surface. In moisturizers silcones are added to act as a sealant or to help prevent moisture loss. These are just the basics that I'm aware of. I do HTH's. Very Happy

Lisa

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2007 8:36 pm

I'm frustrated that so many products contain silicones as they clog my pores like nothing else! Mad

It feels like I spend half my life looking for products with NO cones so I can keep my poor pores clear.

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:35 pm

One place where I like it is Smashbox's foundation primer. Am pretty sure it is silicone based. Don't use it often, but your makeup looks flawless over it!

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:44 pm

I also try to avoide them as much as possible. Even though they make face/hair feel much smooth, they definitely clog my pores and make my hair fall out more than usual...

free skin care · Wed Oct 24, 2007 10:49 pm

I can't take the cones either. I was sooo bummed when I got a HA serum from Derm-E and found it had them. I didn't read carefully enough. And I got it at a natural-ish store so I wasn't expecting it.

free skin care · Thu Oct 25, 2007 7:01 am

kareni wrote:

One place where I like it is Smashbox's foundation primer. Am pretty sure it is silicone based. Don't use it often, but your makeup looks flawless over it!

Love this stuff. My face when I'm wearing makeup loves the cones, makes everything look flawless and just a breeze to apply foundation.

There is also a cheaper version, my friends call it the crotch stuff Wink

Monistat Soothing Care Chafing Relief Powder-Gel

free skin care · Thu Oct 25, 2007 7:29 am

The crotch stuff works! I don't use it often and won't now but when I do, it;s really great.

free skin care · Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:32 am

There are two main reasons: Price and Function.

Price is the main reason because most if not all silicones are very inexpensive raw materials. Remember, in the cosmetic business it is all about the money. If a cosmetic company can use all LOW priced ingredients and charge a HIGH price they will.

Function, plain and simply, silicones perform many cosmetic functions and they do it quite well. In hair care products they help achieve a smooth combing effect and knock down the "frizzies". In skin care, they provide a velvety smooth skin feel that can be almost like silk. In pressed powder products, the silicone that is used is "volatile". So, when you spread the powder on, the silicone facilitates the spreading of the color particles and then evaporates off leaving just the color in place on the skin. In some lip glosses and long wearing lipsticks they provide, glide, shine, and in some cases long wearing protection.

There are so many different types of silicones and silicone derivatives that I could go on and on with the multitude of functions. And that's why they are used so often.

free skin care · Thu Oct 25, 2007 3:42 pm

I'm one of the folks who breaks out with silicones in my products -- which tends to mean I can't ever use any sort of primer. The "slip" and "filler" factors are dead on -- 'cones create a velvety texture, but sometimes at a high price for us sensitive/clog-prone types.

CareKate posted a great list somewhere of all the different 'cones and their solubility types -- I can't recall the location but you might be able to find that if you dig around. I'm pretty sure it was in a hair-related thread, in case that helps! Laughing

Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:03 pm

Interesting.... one of the new Dermalogica products contains "organic silicones"!

Dermalogica mediBac Clearing Mattifier
http://www.essentialdayspa.com/dermalogica-medibac-clear-p_7910.htm

free skin care · Fri Nov 16, 2007 8:47 pm

I am beginning to rethink silicones. I remember the first time i was seriously thought about silicones--from reading the Naturderm site, which says that cones can build on the skin and cause a dull layer and hinder absorption of other ingredients.

since then, i have read some info here and there and am split on whether cones are good or bad for the skin. i know they protect the skin and impart a smoother feel, but i wonder if they actually don't get washed off and stay on top of the skin for awhile.

i am using SVR SS and it does have silicones (nothing else i use really does) and i wonder if my cleansing oil/retinol serum/other acids can strip away the cones or do they just sit there?

any thoughts?

Kris

free skin care · Sat Nov 17, 2007 10:46 am

I couldn't tell you for sure, but here are my theories:

1) Any time I use any skincare product with silicones in the ingredients, I get loads of clogged pores, and not just in my T-zone. I get milia-type bumps on my cheeks and even up near my ears -- and these are areas that never usually stay oily. I use cleansing oil to remove everything on my skin, so I don't think it's an issue of how I'm washing, I think silicones are just that comedogenic (at least for people who are prone to that anyway).

2) When I use silicone-infused products in my hair, I have a HELL of a time getting them to wash out. It depends a little on the product and the type of 'cone it contains, but generally, I have to use a really clarifying/stripping shampoo, and with some silicone-infused products I can't even get them off with that. I have to up it to ACV rinses, baking soda shampoos, and all sorts of stripping/drying strategies to get the silicone buildup off my hair. I don't normally actually bother to do this, because I think it's less scary to have silicone building up in your hair than it is to have it on your skin (hair is just dead keratin after all, not like our faces) but based on my hair experiences, no way do I want 'cones on my face!

Okay, now you have it. Smile

This is not to say silicones don't have their place, for those who can use 'em -- I'm just not one of those people. Which means I pretty much have to avoid all primers/face texturizer creams like that. But that's okay, because I don't wear foundation at all so I don't have much need for primers. I do use an eyeshadow base that probably contains silicones, but I've never found that to be problematic at all.

Anyway, that's my silicone theory in a (admittedly gigantic) nutshell. Smile

free skin care · Sat Nov 17, 2007 11:26 am

Hi ginnielizz,

thanks for your take on silicones. i think then it's safe to say silicone does leave some sort of not easily removed residue on the skin, even if not everyone breaks out from it.

i have never had a problem with it in hair products, but then again, i stick to natural products and rarely if ever, use products such as silk therapy.

for my skin, i do feel it's a bit duller than before using SVR SS. I think i am going to go ahead and use SVR for times when i am going to be spending more time in the sun or when i want a superflawless look (it is like foundation!) and find another silicone free SS. I am going to use up my Juice Beauty with the incredibly low PPD rating, and buy Marie Veronique creme de jour for next time.

Kris

free skin care · Sat Nov 17, 2007 1:19 pm

You know, I believe silicones help make waterproof sunscreens more water, well, proof, haha, so maybe it'd be best to stick to using cone-filled SS when you're swimming or sweating a lot? That way you minimize the amount of buildup you get.

I'm looking forward to trying this Marie Veronique stuff that everyone raves about, but all I can say is, don't neglect Devita! ;D I've been on a mad evangelistic path getting a bunch of other EDSers hooked on the stuff -- it's the nicest physical SS formulation I've ever tried. If you search on "Devita" you'll get lots of input and pretty detailed info about it.

free skin care · Sun Nov 18, 2007 1:05 pm

Hi ginnielizz,

I am growing very curious about Devita but feel a little skeptical, as you know, regarding their moisturizer with spf. But that aside, i was looking at their website and really am tempted now. Do you find their products very herbal smelling? I don't really like products that combine tons of essential oils. it makes me kinda sick actually. Someone said that Marie Veronique products are herb-y so that is one of my hesitations regarding buying their SS (that and the fact that i have 5 facial SS sitting on my counter!)

Kris

free skin care · Mon Nov 19, 2007 12:03 pm

You know, this is one of the few products I use that has no discernible scent whatsoever, not even of the product's base itself (at least not that I can recall -- there's a freaking city-wide Internet outage with my provider, so I'm at a café several blocks away from home answering this!). I myself enjoy most EO scents, but I often find that they irritate my sensitive skin. But this one's nicely fragrance-free.

I totally don't blame you about your concerns as to the SPF rating, and I still share them! I'm also concerned about specific particle size, and I'm frustrated that they haven't gotten back to me as of yet. But I've come to the conclusion that this is so much better than any other physical SS that I'm willing to keep wearing it until I hear one way or another about those factors. And that's not a normal stance for me, I'm usually hyper-cautious -- but this stuff is just so much better on my skin than other physical SS that I bend the rules for it.

Hope this helps!

free skin care · Mon Nov 19, 2007 4:36 pm

glad to hear about the absence of scent from the devita spf moisturizer. i do also enjoy almost all EO smells but can't stand a powerful fusion of them. it does tend to irritate my skin too. i learned my lesson when i used wildsage botanicals wild cherry serum and their moisturizer, my skin was red and itchy for a week! there is such a thing as too much of a good thing Wink

.

i am choosing to ignore the particle size debate regarding zinc oxide but i do hope the owner of devita comes back to clarify many of the questions about her product. i checked out her bio and she seems quite educated with her Ph.D. and all so perhaps she's researching still.

Kris

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