Textile and leather processing are traditional major application fields of silicone oil. Amino-modified silicone oil and emulsified silicone oil, as finishing aids for fabrics, possess multiple functions such as softening, hydrophobicity, anti-static, and defoaming, covering the entire chain of clothing, home textiles, and exterior materials. The market size of textile silicone oil will exceed 2.6 billion yuan by 2025.

In the processing of clothing fabrics, silicone oil is the mainstream softening agent. Pure cotton, synthetic fibers, and knitted fabrics treated with silicone oil immersion and rolling have a flexible film on the surface of the fibers, reducing the friction between fibers, and the fabric feels fluffy and smooth, eliminating the static electricity and balling problem of synthetic fibers; low-stimulus silicone oil specially for infant and children's clothing has no yellowing risk and retains softness after multiple washes. Outdoor windbreakers and tent fabrics use hydrophobic silicone oil for finishing, achieving dual effects of waterproof and breathable, preventing rainwater from penetrating easily, and not hindering the air circulation of the fabric.
In the dyeing process, silicone oil efficiently eliminates dyeing foam, avoiding fabric color bleeding and uneven coloring, and improving the yield of printed and dyed products; adding a trace amount of silicone oil for sewing thread lubrication reduces breakage and jumping of threads during high-speed sewing, improving the production efficiency of garment factories.

In the leather processing field, silicone oil is used for leather clothing, shoes, and bags for greasing care, filling the gaps of leather fibers to enhance softness and waterproof and wear-resistant performance; the leather polishing agent is centered on silicone oil, with a uniform surface gloss, and is not prone to cracking or moldy when stored for a long time.

For home textile categories such as four-piece sets, blankets, and curtains, silicone oil softening treatment is applied to improve the rough and stiff texture; non-woven fabrics and disposable protective fabrics use food-grade emulsified silicone oil, which is gentle and non-irritating, suitable for close-contact usage scenarios.

Industry trends show that environmentally friendly and formaldehyde-free modified silicone oil is gradually replacing traditional products, adapting to domestic and international textile safety standards. Domestic silicone material enterprises continue to develop hydrophilic and cool sensation special silicone oils to meet the differentiated needs of summer fabrics and functional clothing, and the domestic substitution process of textile silicone oil is continuously accelerating.