What is PEG-12 Dimethicone and what is it used for?
PEG-12 dimethicone (CAS 68937-54-2) is a silicone polyether that bridges silicone and water phases. It is used as a nonionic silicone emulsifier and wetting agent, emulsifying water and silicone phases and wetting surfaces and pigments, and to impart a conditioning silicone feel to hair and skin.
PEG-12 DIMETHICONE- ▸ Silicone emulsifier: Emulsifies water and silicone phases.
- ▸ Wetting agent: Wets surfaces and pigments in formulation.
- ▸ Conditioning: Imparts a hair- and skin-conditioning silicone feel.
A grade-specific Safety Data Sheet (SDS) — with the complete hazard classification, handling precautions, and transport information — is supplied with every shipment and available on request. Confirm all safety and regulatory details against the SDS for your specific grade.
Request SDS →PEG-12 Dimethicone (CAS 68937-54-2) is a polyether-modified, water-dispersible silicone — a dimethicone backbone grafted with polyethylene-glycol (PEG) chains. The PEG groups make this silicone compatible with water, so it acts as a silicone surfactant, emulsifier, wetting agent and conditioning agent that bridges silicone and aqueous phases. It is used across personal care and as a wetting/spreading additive in technical formulations.
What is PEG-12 dimethicone?
It is a dimethicone (PDMS) chain carrying PEG (ethylene-oxide) side chains — a silicone polyether copolymer. Plain dimethicone is water-insoluble; grafting hydrophilic PEG onto it produces a surface-active silicone that disperses in water and lowers surface tension, while retaining silicone slip and spreading. The “12” indicates the average degree of ethoxylation, which sets the hydrophilic/lipophilic balance.
Applications by sector
Personal care. PEG-12 dimethicone is a silicone emulsifier and wetting/conditioning agent used to emulsify or solubilize silicones into water-based skin and hair products, to give light slip and a smooth after-feel, and to improve spreading in cleansers, sprays, antiperspirants and color cosmetics. This describes formulation behavior — wetting, emulsification and feel — not a skin-health claim. Technical / I&I. The same surface-activity makes it a wetting, spreading and antifoam-compatible additive in cleaning and coating formulations. Match the grade to the HLB and performance your formula needs.
Forms and grades
Supplied as a fluid; confirm the active silicone content, the degree of ethoxylation and any carrier on the RFQ. Related silicone surfactants and conditioning silicones are part of the same line — see the bulk silicone supplier hub.
Handling and documentation
Each lot ships with a Certificate of Analysis (CoA); request the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) for physical-property and handling data, which are sourced from the SDS rather than reproduced here.
Bulk supply and RFQ
RawSource supplies PEG-12 dimethicone in drums and totes from domestic US stock to personal-care and specialty formulators, with CoA and SDS per lot. Submit an RFQ with your target quantity and packaging. Related silicones: dimethicone, dimethiconol, phenyl trimethicone.
Typical Properties
Typical reference values, not a specification; the Certificate of Analysis (CoA) for the lot governs.
| Property | Typical Value |
|---|---|
| INCI Name | PEG-12 Dimethicone |
| CAS Number | 68937-54-2 |
| Chemical type | Polyether (PEG)-modified, water-dispersible polydimethylsiloxane |
| Appearance | Clear to hazy fluid |
| Solubility | Water-dispersible / water-soluble (PEG-modified) |
| Function | Silicone emulsifier, surfactant, wetting & conditioning agent |
| Flammability / handling | Refer to the current SDS |
Regulatory & registration requirements
- TSCA (US):
- REACH (EU): Not determined from public registry
- EC number: 614-822-8
TSCA Inventory flag XU: a substance exempt from reporting under the Chemical Data Reporting Rule (40 CFR 711) (EPA flag legend).
Source: EPA TSCA Inventory (July 2025 release) · ECHA CHEM — retrieved 2026-07-12
Reviewed and updated July 2026 by the RawSource technical team.
PEG-12 dimethicone (CAS 68937-54-2) is a water-soluble silicone polyether, a dimethicone backbone carrying an average of 12 ethylene-oxide units, used as a nonionic silicone emulsifier and wetting agent.
PEG-12 Dimethicone: Key Figures
- 538 reported uses in US cosmetic products per FDA Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program data, the highest count among the 111 ingredients in the CIR final safety assessment of polyoxyalkylene siloxane copolymers (2015).
- 0.0016% to 6.5% reported maximum use concentrations across cosmetic product categories (CIR, Table 4, 2015).
- 260 cSt viscosity at 25°C, specific gravity 1.07 and calculated HLB 12 for the reference grade, XIAMETER OFX-0193 Fluid (Dow technical data sheet, 2017).
- 3% general duty rate on US imports under HTS 3910.00.00, “Silicones in primary forms,” reported by weight in kg (USITC Harmonized Tariff Schedule, 2026).
Frequently Asked Questions
What is PEG-12 dimethicone used for?
PEG-12 dimethicone (CAS 68937-54-2) is a water-dispersible silicone used as an emulsifier, surfactant, wetting agent and conditioning agent — mainly to emulsify silicones into water-based personal-care products and to give light slip and spreading; also as a wetting additive in technical formulations.
Is PEG-12 dimethicone water soluble?
Yes — unlike plain dimethicone, the grafted PEG chains make PEG-12 dimethicone water-dispersible/soluble, which is what lets it act as a silicone surfactant and emulsifier bridging silicone and water phases.
What does the “12” mean in PEG-12 dimethicone?
It denotes the average number of ethylene-oxide (PEG) units grafted to the dimethicone, which sets the hydrophilic/lipophilic balance and therefore the emulsifying behavior.
How does PEG-12 dimethicone differ from dimethicone?
Dimethicone is a water-insoluble silicone fluid; PEG-12 dimethicone is the same silicone backbone modified with hydrophilic PEG chains, making it water-dispersible and surface-active rather than a simple oil.
How is bulk PEG-12 dimethicone supplied and quoted?
RawSource supplies it in drums and totes from domestic US stock, with CoA and SDS per lot. Pricing is quote-based on grade, active content, volume and packaging; submit an RFQ with your target quantity.
Is PEG-12 dimethicone safe?
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel concluded that PEG-12 dimethicone is safe in cosmetics in the present practices of use and concentration. That finding appears in its January 2015 final assessment of polyoxyalkylene siloxane copolymers. FDA Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program data in the report record 538 product uses, and a Personal Care Products Council industry survey in the same report puts maximum use concentrations at 0.0016% to 6.5%. For handling, work from the current lot SDS; RawSource supplies an SDS and CoA with each lot.
Is PEG-12 dimethicone good for hair?
Formulators use it in hair care as a water-soluble conditioning and wetting additive. The Dow technical data sheet for XIAMETER OFX-0193 Fluid, a reference PEG-12 dimethicone grade, cites combing ease, manageability and silky feel at 1.0% to 5.0% in shampoo. In hair spray it delivers luster, detackification and hold at 0.1% to 1.0% and plasticizes styling resins. Unlike standard dimethicone it stays water soluble, so it fits rinse-off and hydroalcoholic systems.
What is the HLB value of PEG-12 dimethicone?
Hydrophilic-lipophilic balance varies with a grade’s ethylene-oxide content, so confirm the figure on the supplier data sheet. Dow reports a calculated HLB of 12 for XIAMETER OFX-0193 Fluid, its PEG-12 dimethicone, using the weight-percent-EO-divided-by-5 method. That value sits in the range formulators use for oil-in-water emulsification and matches the wetting-agent and surface-tension-depressant functions listed on the data sheet.
Which Dow product is PEG-12 dimethicone?
Dow supplies PEG-12 dimethicone as XIAMETER OFX-0193 Fluid. The Dow technical data sheet lists the INCI name PEG-12 Dimethicone with typical viscosity of 260 cSt at 25°C, specific gravity of 1.07 and a cloud point of 95 to 100°C. When qualifying a comparable generic grade, match those values plus active content and HLB against the lot Certificate of Analysis. RawSource quotes bulk PEG-12 dimethicone in drums and totes.
What is the REACH and TSCA regulatory status of PEG-12 Dimethicone?
PEG-12 Dimethicone (CAS 68937-54-2) is listed as Active on the U.S. EPA TSCA Inventory; its REACH registration status is not determined from the public ECHA registry.