SILICONE
Cyclopentasiloxane
- silicone
A light, fast-evaporating silicone that spreads other ingredients then leaves. It gives serums their weightless glide.
- products in our library
- 188
- of researched products
- 5%
- on the label, in our hair oils
- usually #1
- most common in
- Finisher: oil
- in water
- Volatile
At a glance
Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
How much easier it makes a comb pass.
How much the class is felt on fine hair.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | None left behind | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Slip | Light | 3 of 5 |
| Weight | Light | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Cyclopentasiloxane does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Fills the gaps between lifted cuticle scales so light reflects evenly.
Lowers the drag a comb feels, which is most of what "detangling" means.
Smooths the feel of the strand without adding hold or cleaning.
It carries the formula onto the hair and then leaves.
Charge
Carries no charge, so it neither clings to hair nor is pushed away by it. Nonionic ingredients are the mild, pH-tolerant workhorses of a formula.
Solubility
Evaporates after application rather than staying on the hair, so it leaves nothing behind to remove.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Finisher: oil
44 products
|
leading · #1 | |
Leave-in
30 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Heat protectant
20 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Finisher: serum
18 products
|
leading · #1 | |
Mask / treatment
15 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Finisher: shine spray
14 products
|
leading · #1 | |
Conditioner
12 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: curl cream
7 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: hairspray
7 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
6 products
|
leading · #3 |
8 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Finisher: anti frizz finish
4 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Co-wash
3 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Shampoo
3 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: texture spray
3 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: mousse
2 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Finisher: end oil
1 product
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: gel
1 product
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: volumizer
1 product
|
leading · #2 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finisher: oil | 44 | 24% | 1 | 1 | leading |
| Leave-in | 30 | 7% | 4 | 1 | supporting |
| Heat protectant | 20 | 14% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Finisher: serum | 18 | 22% | 1 | 1 | leading |
| Mask / treatment | 15 | 4% | 9 | 2 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 14 | 21% | 1 | 1 | leading |
| Conditioner | 12 | 2% | 5 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: curl cream | 7 | 7% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: hairspray | 7 | 7% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 6 | 11% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 4 | 17% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Co-wash | 3 | 3% | 5 | 4 | supporting |
| Shampoo | 3 | 0% | 16 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 3 | 5% | 5 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: mousse | 2 | 1% | 17 | 16 | secondary |
| Finisher: end oil | 1 | 11% | 3 | 3 | leading |
| Styler: gel | 1 | 1% | 3 | 3 | leading |
| Styler: volumizer | 1 | 1% | 2 | 2 | leading |
No product-type differences have been researched yet — the reading below is computed from where it sits on the labels in our library.
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 141 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 45 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 17 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 20 |
| 26+ | Trace | 3 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Who should pay attention
Conditional formulation guidance, scoped to a hair condition and to the positions where it is meaningful. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, and not a conclusion about you.
It leaves the hair by evaporating rather than by being washed off, so it is not part of what accumulates.
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
A cyclic silicone evaporates after it has spread the formula, so it carries the other ingredients without leaving weight behind.
Silicones lay a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.
Read from this ingredient’s chemical class. Where we have researched the ingredient itself, that reading replaces the class one.
Why it matters to shoppers
What this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- smoothing with nothing left behind
- slip and surface smoothing
- a softer feel
- nothing left on the hair
- an exact safety score — we do not publish one, for any ingredient
- how a finished product performs by itself — that is the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle — label position never converts into a number
- a primary silicone near the top of the ingredient list in our hair oils
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- it is a carrier, not something left on the hair
- buildup — the water-soluble ones rinse out with ordinary shampoo
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Why some people avoid it
A conditioning agent that lays a smooth film on the cuticle, which is what delivers slip, shine and frizz control.
The water-insoluble ones need a detergent wash to remove, so on a routine that avoids detergent they accumulate and can leave hair feeling coated. That is the curly-method objection, and it is about buildup rather than harm. Water-soluble silicones rinse out and do not raise it.
Where regulators stand: Permitted. Some cyclic silicones are restricted in the EU on environmental grounds — persistence in waterways — rather than for anything to do with skin.
A formulation preference, not a regulatory finding
Commonly paired with
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Dimethicone · 94
- Dimethiconol · 87
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 58
- Phenyl Trimethicone · 50
- Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil · 47
- Citronellol · 44
- Propylene Glycol · 42
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 40
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 40
- Benzyl Salicylate · 37
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to smooth the surface, give it a scent, and soften the strand.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Alterna · Finisher
Caviar Anti-Aging Restructuring Bond Repair 3-in-1 Sealing Serum
#1 on the label · $22.35/oz
Alterna · Finisher
Caviar Anti-Aging Smoothing Anti-Frizz Nourishing Oil
#1 on the label · $16.32/oz
amika · Leave-in
The Wizard Detangling Primer
#1 on the label · $6.40/oz
Bed Head · Heat protectant
A Glass Act Heat & UV Shield Oil
#1 on the label · $5.34/oz
CHI · Finisher
Deep Brilliance Shine Serum Lightweight Leave-In Treatment
#1 on the label · $2.80/oz
Coco & Eve · Finisher
Like A Virgin Miracle Hair Elixir
#1 on the label · $9.93/oz
Creme of Nature · Finisher
Argan Oil Anti Humidity Gloss Shine Mist
#1 on the label · $2.43/oz
Creme of Nature · Heat protectant
Argan Oil from Morocco Heat Protector Smooth & Shine Polisher
#1 on the label · $1.92/oz
Design Essentials · Finisher
Moroccan Oil Thermal Serum
#1 on the label · $2.50/oz
Doo Gro · Finisher
Hair Polish Shine Mist
#1 on the label · $1.35/oz
Dove · Leave-in
Beauty Bond Shield Leave-In Silk Hair Serum
#1 on the label · $3.63/oz
Dove · Leave-in
Damage Therapy Bond Shield 10 in 1 Super Serum
#1 on the label · $3.63/oz
See all 188 products in the library that list Cyclopentasiloxane
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Cyclopentasiloxane
- CAS 541-02-6
- PubChem 10913
- emollient
- cyclomethicone
- cyclopentasiloxane
For your hair?
Whether Cyclopentasiloxane matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 4th most-listed silicone in our libraryWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above is read from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references — the consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem — Compound identity: CID 10913, CAS 541-02-6, C10H30O5Si5 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 188 of 4008 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one is read from what kind of ingredient it is — its chemical class, its charge, its solubility — or from where it sits on the labels we have.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry; where none is, the row is simply absent rather than filled in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-08-28. Product-page methodology: the product library.