What this tab covers How it is regulated and what could disrupt supply: hazard classification, rules in the EU, US and India, anti-dumping duties and other trade measures, and supply-risk notes.
Hazards
Classification
UN number
Key risks
PDMS polymers generally not classified; D4 is reproductive toxicity category 2; chlorosilanes are flammable, water-reactive and corrosive
UN1162 (dimethyldichlorosilane, intermediate)
Chlorosilane releases form HCl clouds; D4, D5 and D6 are persistent and bioaccumulative in the environment.
Main rules
Where
Rule
Effect
EU
REACH restriction on D4, D5 and D6 (Regulation (EU) 2024/1328), extending the 2020 wash-off cosmetics limit of 0.1% to leave-on cosmetics and other consumer and professional products from 2026-2027 (indicative dates)
Forces reformulation in personal care and cleaning products
EU
D4, D5 and D6 listed as substances of very high concern (2018, indicative)
Disclosure obligations
US
EPA TSCA risk evaluation of D4 (requested by manufacturers, indicative)
Possible future limits
Global
Medical device and food-contact approvals (FDA, EU MDR)
Qualification barriers that protect incumbents
India
Rule
Effect
BIS cosmetics standards and CDSCO cosmetics rules (2020)
Indian cosmetics may follow EU limits on cyclosiloxanes over time (indicative)
MSIHC Rules 1989
Covers chlorosilanes if handled
Solar and EV PLI schemes
Raise domestic demand for silicone encapsulants and sealants
Trade measures
US anti-dumping and countervailing duties on silicon metal and ferrosilicon from several countries (silicon tile)
No current Indian silicone trade remedy confirmed in sources reached
Supply risk
High concentration: China makes most silicon metal and siloxane. The EU lists silicon metal as a critical and strategic raw material (Critical Raw Materials Act, 2024). Western upstream capacity is shrinking.