Who Owns DOWSIL?

The story begins with silicone chemistry itself. In 1943, Dow Chemical and Corning Glass Works formed Dow Corning to commercialize silicones, the synthetic polymers first developed through research Corning sponsored and Dow scaled. The venture, based in Midland, Michigan, produced silicone rubber, fluids, and sealants that found wartime uses in electrical insulation and aircraft seals.

Dow Corning grew into the world's largest silicone producer over the following decades. Its products went into building facades, electronics, cosmetics, and medical devices. The company also produced silicone breast implants, which became the center of one of the largest product liability crises in U.S. history. Litigation and health claims forced Dow Corning into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1995; it emerged in 2004 after funding a multibillion-dollar settlement trust.

In June 2016, Dow Chemical completed the buyout of Corning's 50% stake, ending the 73-year joint venture and taking full control of the silicone business. In 2018, Dow renamed the product line DOWSIL, retiring the Dow Corning consumer-facing brand. When DowDuPont split in 2019, the silicone business landed inside Dow Inc. under the Consumer Solutions business within Performance Materials & Coatings.

Under the DOWSIL name, Dow has expanded into growth markets: thermal interface materials for electronics and electric vehicles, silicone adhesives for displays, and encapsulants for solar modules. In 2025, Dow launched products such as DOWSIL 5-1050 polymer processing aid for film packaging made without fluoropolymer-based additives, part of the Consumer Solutions business that generated $4.9 billion in sales.