Silica is found virtually everywhere in nature and exists naturally in the human body. It plays many important roles in overall health, but silica is particularly crucial for skin.
Keep reading to explore silica benefits for skin, how it works, why it matters, and how to make sure you're getting enough of it.
What Is Silica and How Does It Work?
Silica is a compound made up of silicon and oxygen. Also known as silicon dioxide, it's among the most abundant substances on earth, found in dirt, sand, clay, rocks, soil, water, and even air.
Trace amounts of silica are found inside the body within connective tissues, ligaments, cartilage, and bones. You don't need much, but having enough of the stuff is crucial for healthy skin, hair, nails, bones, and joints.
Understanding Silica and Its Importance for Skin Health
Silicon dioxide is vital for maintaining skin elasticity. It supports skin health by giving connective tissues their structure and bonding with collagen, elastin, and keratin. This helps the skin retain moisture, repair damage, and replace dead skin cells with new ones.
Key Benefits of Silica on Skin
The primary benefits of silica on the skin include:
- Enhancing skin elasticity and firmness
- Promoting natural collagen production
- Improving skin hydration and texture
- Strengthening hair and nails
Get details below.
Enhancing Skin Elasticity and Firmness
Sun damage and the natural aging process can result in less elastin in the skin, contributing to crepiness and saggy skin. Silica can help counteract these effects by activating enzymes that boost elastin. The result? A firmer complexion and better skin texture.
Promoting Collagen Production
When you're younger, your skin has ample collagen, which helps keep it smooth, resilient, and free of fine lines and wrinkles. But, we stop producing collagen as we age.
Research suggests silicon dioxide supports collagen synthesis—how the body combines nutrients to generate collagen. It may help prevent the breakdown of this skin-loving protein and help your body make more of it.
Improving Skin Hydration and Texture
Silica may also help boost skin hydration to address dull, dry skin, which can become more of an issue with age and sun exposure. Beyond that, it might improve skin texture by helping smooth out rough patches, absorb excess oil, and reduce enlarged pores. Incorporating silica into your routine helps enhance hydration and skin texture, allowing you to achieve more youthful skin.
Strengthening Hair and Nails
Besides supporting collagen production, one of silica's main claims to fame is that it helps generate keratin. Silica also supports hair health. Without collagen and keratin, your strands and fingernails may become thin and brittle and struggle to grow.
Sources of Silica for Skin Health
So, how can you reap the skin health benefits of silica? You can get it through dietary sources and topical skincare treatments.
Dietary Sources of Silica
Many foods contain silica, including:
- Whole grains
- Fortified cereal and bread
- Dairy products like milk and eggs
- Fish
- Bananas
- Leafy greens
- Various other fruits and vegetables
- Mineral water
If you eat a well-rounded diet, you probably get plenty of silicon dioxide from food alone. Though a silica deficiency is unlikely, you might consider a silica supplement to increase your silica intake, such as a tablet or powder. Silica supplements can be particularly beneficial for those suffering from hair loss, as they help strengthen hair strands, improve bone health by supporting collagen production, and promote youthful skin by enhancing elasticity and hydration.
Topical Silica Products for Skincare
Silica can also be applied topically in the form of skincare products, like serums, stem cell moisturizers, and eye creams. In addition to supporting collagen synthesis, topical silica may have anti-inflammatory properties, potentially reducing rosacea, irritation, or general redness.
How to Incorporate Silica Into Your Skincare Routine With CLEARSTEM
CLEARSTEM is committed to offering high-quality products that tackle aging, acne, dark spots, fine lines, wrinkles, and other skincare woes from multiple angles–without any pore-clogging ingredients, parabens, or phthalates.
We have a range of anti-aging skincare products geared toward mature skin that help minimize wrinkles and other visible effects of photoaging (sun damage). You'll also find acne and aging skincare products that work overtime to keep breakouts and skin damage at bay, along with non-comedogenic products that won't clog your pores.
Sources:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2020). ToxFAQsTM for Silica. Toxic Substances Portal.
Martin KR. (2007). The chemistry of silica and its potential health benefits. The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, 11(2), 94–97.
Araújo LA, et al. (2016). Use of silicon for skin and hair care: an approach of chemical forms available and efficacy. Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia, 91(3), 331–335.
Varani J, et al. (2006). Decreased collagen production in chronologically aged skin: roles of age-dependent alteration in fibroblast function and defective mechanical stimulation. The American Journal of Pathology, 168(6), 1861–1868.
Ferreira AO, et al. (2018). Anti-Aging Effects of Monomethylsilanetriol and Maltodextrin-Stabilized Orthosilicic Acid on Nails, Skin and Hair. Cosmetics.
Sadowska A, et al. (2020). Sources, Bioavailability, and Safety of Silicon Derived from Foods and Other Sources Added for Nutritional Purposes in Food Supplements and Functional Foods. Applied Sciences, 10, 6255.
Green LJ, et al. (2023). Silica-based microencapsulation used in topical dermatologic applications. Archives of Dermatological Research, 315(10), 2787–2793.
