A silicone resin represented by formula (1) and having a Mw of 1,000-8,000 is useful in cosmetics. [(C6H5)3SiO1/2]a[R13SiO1/2]b[R22SiO2/2]c[R3SiO3/2]d[SiO4/2]e  (1) R1 is a C1-C8 alkyl group, C6-C12 aryl group (exclusive of phenyl) or C1-C8 fluorinated alkyl group, R2 and R3 are each independently a C1-C8 alkyl group, C6-C12 aryl group or C1-C8 fluorinated alkyl group, a=0-0.2, b=0.1-0.5, c=0-0.2, d=0.01-0.5, e=0-0.6, a+b+c+d+e=1.0, at least one phenyl group is included in the molecule. A film of the silicone resin has a refractive index of at least 1.48.