Amended Safety Assessment of Silicates as Used in Cosmetics

The Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety (Panel) assessed the safety of 24 silicate ingredients that are solid inorganic oxides, comprising, in part, silicon dioxide, which can be derived from naturally occurring minerals or can be produced synthetically. Reported functions in cosmetics include abrasives, absorbents, bulking agents, and deodorant agents. The Panel reviewed all relevant data and concluded that the silicate ingredients are safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration described in this safety assessment when formulated to be non-irritating, with the exception that the available data are insufficient to make a determination of safety for the use of naturally sourced (i.e., mined) silicate ingredients in products that may be incidentally inhaled.