Silk
AKA “Silk Powder”
Synthetic
Ingredient Facts
Silk
AKA: Silk Powder
Synthetic · Emollient · EWG: 4
Plant-Derived Synthetic
Emollient
Occlusive
Skin Conditioner
Synthetic
Clean
Serica (EU) Science: Functions: Bulking Safety Ratings: CIR: Safe as used
CAS #
9009-99-8
Form
Powder
See origin →
Functions
Skin Conditioning
A catch-all term for ingredients that improve how skin looks and feels — softer, smoother, more supple. The workhorse behind most moisturizers.
Emollient
Fills in the tiny cracks between skin cells to make everything feel smooth and soft. The "silky finish" ingredient.
Film Forming
Creates a physical seal on skin to lock moisture in and keep irritants out. The "slugging" ingredient — barrier protection.
Bulking
Adds Body & Volume
Conditions Skin
Wound Healing
Anti-Aging Benefits
Antioxidant Protection
Adds volume
Traditional Use
Used in traditional Chinese medicine and skincare for over 2,000 years; silk fibroin was valued for its moisturizing and skin-smoothing properties in Imperial beauty treatments and continues as a luxury skincare ingredient.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
Dryness
Melanin-Rich Skin
Suitable
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
Inhibitory effect of corn silk on skin pigmentation.
Choi SY, Lee Y, Kim SS, Ju HM, Baek JH et al.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2014
Safety Assessment of Silk Protein Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
Capryloyl Silk Amino Acids
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Hydrolyzed Silk
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Lauroyl Silk Amino Acids
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
MEA-Hydrolyzed Silk
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Palmitoyl Silk Amino Acids
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Potassium Lauroyl Silk Amino Acids
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Silk
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Silk Amino Acids
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Silk Extract
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Silk Powder
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Silkworm Cocoon Extract
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Sodium Lauroyl Silk Amino Acids
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Hydrolyzed Silk
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Lauroyl Silk Amino Acids
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Potassium Lauroyl Silk Amino Acids
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Silk
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Silk Amino Acids
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Silk Powder
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Sodium Lauroyl Silk Amino Acids
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Safety Assessment of Silk Protein Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Johnson W Jr, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2020
Safety Assessment of Silk Protein Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics.
Johnson W Jr, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD et al.
International journal of toxicology, 2020
Potential Photoprotective Effect of Dietary Corn Silk Extract on Ultraviolet B-Induced Skin Damage.
Kim YH, Cho A, Kwon SA, Kim M, Song M et al.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2019
[Metabolism of 14C-soluble proteins from silkworm tissues during silk formation].
Klunova SM, Altsybeeva TI, Filippovich IuB
Biokhimiia (Moscow, Russia), 1980
Silkworm Sericin: Properties and Biomedical Applications.
Kunz RI, Brancalhão RM, Ribeiro LF, Natali MR
BioMed research international, 2016
Optimizing interactions between soluble silk fibroin and capryl glucoside for design of a natural and high-performance co-surfactant system.
Maxwell R, Costache MC, Giarrosso A, Bosques C, Amin S
International journal of cosmetic science, 2021
Silk Fibroin Biomaterials and Their Beneficial Role in Sk...
Łukasz Mazurek, Mateusz Szudzik, Mateusz Rybka, Marek Konop
Biomolecules, 2022
Silk Fibroin Biomaterials and Their Beneficial Role in Skin Wound Healing.
Mazurek Ł, Szudzik M, Rybka M, Konop M
Biomolecules, 2022
Silk Fibroin Biomaterials and Their Beneficial Role in Skin Wound Healing.
Mazurek Ł, Szudzik M, Rybka M, Konop M
Biomolecules, 2022
Silk Sericin and Its Effect on Skin Wound Healing: A State of the Art.
Mazurek Ł, Rybka M, Jurak J, Frankowski J, Konop M
Macromolecular bioscience, 2024
Allantoin-functionalized silk fibroin/sodium alginate tra...
Haojiang Xie, Qiao Bai, Fankai Kong, Yang Li, Xiaoying Zha, Lingqin Zhang + 4 more
International journal of biological macromolecules, 2022
[Heterologous expression of bacterial tyrosinase and its applications in biological hair dyeing and DOPA modification of hydrolyzed silk fibroin].
Zheng Y, Xu R, Wang Y, Fang C, DU G et al.
Sheng wu gong cheng xue bao = Chinese journal of biotechnology, 2024
Verified Feb 2026
Data: CosIng · EWG · CIR