SILICONE
Dimethiconol/Silsesquioxane Copolymer
- silicone
A silicone network that leaves a durable, high-shine film.
- products in our library
- 8
- of researched products
- 0.1%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #3
- most common in
- Conditioner
- in water
- Water-dispersible
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 | Low | 2 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with shampoo | 4 of 5 |
| Slip | High | 5 of 5 |
| Weight | Noticeable | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Dimethiconol/Silsesquioxane Copolymer 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.
The film is what holds a shape once the water has gone.
How firmly depends on the polymer class and how much of it is used.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Spreads through water without truly dissolving, and normal shampooing removes it.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Conditioner
6 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Mask / treatment
2 products
|
supporting · #5 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 6 | 1% | 3 | 3 | leading |
| Mask / treatment | 2 | 0% | 5 | 5 | supporting |
We have not researched differences by product type yet. The reading below comes 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 | 4 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 4 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 0 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 0 |
| 26+ | Trace | 0 |
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
Formulation guidance for specific hair conditions, limited to the label positions where it applies. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, or about you.
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
Lays a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
How rigid the finish is depends on which polymer it is and what the formula pairs with it, not on there being one.
Dimethicone does not disperse in water. On a routine that skips detergent it stays on the hair and accumulates wash after wash.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients, positions 4–8 or the lower half of the ordered list.High on a list, a conditioning film is weight, and fine hair loses root lift to it before it gains much smoothness.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients or positions 4–8.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 seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- slip and surface smoothing
- a style that holds
- a product ordinary shampooing removes
- results that hold as the weather changes
- an exact safety score (we do not publish one for any ingredient)
- how a finished product performs, which depends on the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle, because label position never converts into a number
- a primary silicone near the top of the ingredient list in our conditioners
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- buildup, since 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 (they persist in waterways), not for anything to do with skin.
A formulation preference, not a regulatory finding
Browse products in our library without Dimethiconol/Silsesquioxane Copolymer
Commonly paired with
The ingredients that most often appear alongside this one in our library. We leave out the near-universal ones, because they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Isohexadecane · 8
- Dipropylene Glycol · 8
- Disodium EDTA · 8
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 8
- Lactic Acid · 7
- Sodium Chloride · 7
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 7
- Sodium Gluconate · 6
- Sodium Citrate · 6
- Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine · 6
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to carry the formula and let it dry, keep the formula stable, and improve feel after rinsing.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Dove · Conditioner
Bond Strength Peptide Complex Conditioner
#3 on the label · $0.45/oz
Dove · Conditioner
Damage Therapy Bond Strength Conditioner
#3 on the label · $0.49/oz
Nexxus · Conditioner
Amino Bond Repair Conditioner
#3 on the label · $1.56/oz
Nexxus · Conditioner
Keraphix Damage Repair Conditioner
#3 on the label · $0.92/oz
TRESemme · Conditioner
Keratin Repair Conditioner for Damaged Hair
#4 on the label · $1.40/oz
Dove · Mask / treatment
Bond Strength with Peptide Complex 10-in-1 Serum Hair Mask
#5 on the label · $2.13/oz
Dove · Mask / treatment
Intensive Repair Advanced Damage Therapy 10-in-1 Serum Hair Mask
#5 on the label · $1.30/oz
Dove · Conditioner
Intensive Repair Hair Conditioner Pump with Glutamic Amino Serum & Bio-Protein Care
#5 on the label · $1.17/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Dimethiconol/Silsesquioxane Copolymer
- film former
- dimethiconol/silsesquioxane copolymer
For your hair?
Whether Dimethiconol/Silsesquioxane Copolymer matters for your hair depends on your hair.
8 products in our library list itWhat 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 comes from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references. The consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Seed entry, sourcing in progress Written from our reference work; primary sourcing is still being attached.
No published source is attached to this entry yet.
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 8 of 6816 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one comes from what kind of ingredient it is (its chemical class, charge and 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. Without one, we leave the row out rather than fill it in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-09-22. Product-page methodology: the product library.
