Economic Daily - China economic network, Beijing, Feb. 5 (correspondent Wu Xingdou Xiao) recently, "silicone oil causes cancer", "silicone oil blocks pores" and other comments can be seen everywhere on the Internet, while "no silicone oil, no stimulation" and other propaganda are also popular. What is "silicone oil"? Shangguiqin, engineer of the industrial products center of Changzhou inspection and Quarantine Bureau in Jiangsu Province, told reporters that silicone oil is a kind of high molecular material containing silicon, commonly known as organosilicon, which has a good "skin feeling" and "ductility". It is also common in the use of high-end cosmetics. Moreover, the higher the ranking of different brands, the more expensive the product price. According to statistics, in 2017, the global sales volume of organosilicon reached nearly 19.4 billion US dollars
Experts predict that in the future, the proportion of organosilicon in high-end cosmetics will be as high as 65% - 70%, which means that organosilicon is a hot spot in many cosmetics. Driven by the market, the sales volume of organosilicon keeps growing.
Facing the hot spot of organosilicon development, many countries began to adjust the relevant laws. The reporter learned from the National Bureau of quality supervision, inspection and quarantine that the European Union formally revised the appendix of reach regulation, and set concentration limits on D4 and D5 "silicon containing" ingredients in rinsing cosmetics. The regulation was implemented on January 31, 2018.
In January 2018, the European Commission 2018 / 35 was published in the official journal of the European Union Amendment No. 7, which formally revised appendix XVII of reach regulation, stipulated that the content of octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane (D4) and decamethylcyclopentasiloxane (D5) in the cosmetics for washing must be less than 0.1%. This amendment ended the dispute of using D4 and D5 for up to 10 years. Meanwhile, setting a concentration limit of 0.1% can effectively terminate the behavior of adding D4 and D5, "no D4 and D5" It will become the standard match of European washing cosmetics.
Is organosilicon harmful to human body? In fact, many silicone products are harmless, such as silicone in washing products, pacifiers for baby products, silicone sleeves for mobile phones, and organs implanted in parts of the human body. If silicon is harmful to the human body, it is usually caused by breathing. People who have been engaged in sand mining, glass manufacturing and ceramic production for a long time may suffer from silicosis, which is caused by the inhalation of too much silicon into their lungs. Silicon generally does not harm people through skin contact.
According to Shang Guiqin's engineer, the revision of the regulation is not because of the rumor that "silicon is harmful to human body", but because the volatile and residual parts will be washed away when the two substances contact with skin, hair or mucous membrane, and will cause environmental problems when discharged into waste water.
Shanguiqin engineer suggested that consumers should not "smell the silicon color change" and choose products containing silicon rationally; from the perspective of environmental protection, try to choose products without silicon. Relevant enterprises need to pay close attention to the update of domestic and foreign laws and regulations, adjust the formula in time, and ensure that the products meet the requirements of the importing countries. The research and development of traditional silicon containing cosmetics should strictly control the pollution sources, minimize the possible pollution in the process of production and use, and try to eliminate the pollution sources that may cause irreversible harm to the environment and internationally controversial pollution sources.