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Glycerin: A Significant Humectant

Posted on April 3, 2015 by George Deckner — 5 comments

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Most top performing hand and body lotions contain high levels of glycerin.
Most top performing hand and body lotions contain high levels of glycerin.

Glycerin (EU) is one of the most important and widely used ingredients in skin care formulations. It is a water-soluble, odorless, colorless, naturally-occurring humectant commonly used as a moisturizer (EU), solvent (EU), or lubricant. Glycerin has over 1500 known uses in different categories that range from foods to urethane foams. About 300 million pounds of glycerin are used annually in the United States, and it is produced by the continuous high-pressure hydrolysis of natural triglyceride-based oils. Glycerin is also naturally occurring in the body and is produced from the metabolism of fats and oils into fatty acids and glycerin.

Glycerin was accidentally discovered in 1779 by K. W. Scheele, a Swedish chemist, while he was heating a mixture of olive oil (EU) and litharge (lead monoxide). Scheele called glycerin the “sweet principle of fat.” Scheele later established that other metals and glycerides produce the same chemical reaction, yielding glycerin and soap. In 1783, he published a description of his method of preparation in the transactions of the Royal Academy of Sweden, and his method was used to produce glycerin commercially for many years.

Glycerin did not become economically or industrially significant until Alfred Nobel invented dynamite in 1866. After twenty years of experimentation, Nobel’s invention successfully stabilized trinitroglycerin, a highly explosive compound, by absorption on kieselguhr, or diatamaceous earth, which permitted safe handling and transportation.

10 Key Benefits

  1. Excellent moisturizing properties. Most top performing hand and body lotions contain high levels of glycerin.
  2. Can improve chronic hand dermatitis.
  3. Can help promote cell exfoliation.
  4. Can help reduce wound-healing times. Good moisturizers can reduce wound-healing times by up to 25%.
  5. Glycerin has been shown to stimulate barrier recovery in vivo after repeated skin washing using sodium lauryl sulfate (EU).
  6. Can help improve the freeze-thaw stability of oil-in-water emulsions.
  7. Is an approved category 1 OTC skin protectant (>20%).
  8. Excellent safety profile and low toxicity.
  9. Natural-based and cost effective.
  10. Used to produce glycerin-based esters (EU) widely used in personal care formulations as emollients and emulsifiers (polyglyceryl esters (EU), glyceryl stearate (EU), glyceryl tricaprylate/caprate (EU)).

Material Resources in Prospector:

GLYCERIN Suppliers (North America) GLYCERIN Suppliers (Europe)
ABITEC Corporation Acme Hardesty
Acme Hardesty Air Products and Chemicals Inc.
Active Organics Akott Group
Air Products and Chemicals Inc. ALZO International Inc.
ALZO International Inc. Ashland Inc.
Ashland Inc.
BASF
BASF Care Creations Bayer HealthCare Division Serdex
Beijing Brilliance Bio Beijing Brilliance Bio
Biocosmethic BioSpectrum, Inc.
Biosil Technologies, Inc. Chemceed
BioSpectrum, Inc. CLR Chemisches Laboratorium Dr. Kurt Richter GmbH
Botaneco Cremer Care
Charkit Chemical Corp. Croda
Chemceed Crodarom
Clariant – Personal Care Doosan Corporation
CLR North America Dr. Straetmans
Coast Southwest DSM Nutritional Products Europe Ltd
Cremer Care Elé Corporation
Croda Inc. Evonik Industries AG Personal Care
DKSH North America, Inc.
Gelyma
Doosan Corporation Gfn-Selco
Dr. Straetmans Grant Industries, Inc.
DSM Nutritional Products, LLC Greentech
Elé Corporation HallStar Company
Evonik Industries AG Personal Care Induchem AG
Floratech Infinitec
Grant Industries, Inc. INOLEX
Greentech USA Laboratoires Prod’Hyg
HallStar Company Lipo Chemicals Company
Induchem USA, Inc. Lipotec
Infinitec Lucas Meyer Cosmetics (formerly Unipex Innovations)
INOLEX Mibelle AG Biochemistry
Integrity Ingredients Corp. Miwon Commercial Co., Ltd.
Jedwards International, Inc. Momentive Performance Materials
Laboratoires Prod’Hyg Nagase & Co., Ltd.
Lincoln Fine Ingredients NCD Ingredients GmbH
Lipo Chemicals Company Phoenix Chemical, Inc.
Lipotec Provital Group
Lucas Meyer Cosmetics (formerly Unipex Innovations) Rahn AG
Mibelle AG Biochemistry Schülke & Mayr GmbH
Miwon Commercial Co., Ltd. Sederma
MMP International Seiwa Kasei Co., Ltd.
Momentive Performance Materials SEPPIC
Naturex Shanghai Oli Enterprises Co.,Ltd
Nexeo Solutions Solabia Group
NOF America Corporation Spec-Chem Industry Inc
Oleon Americas Symrise
Paradigm Science Inc. TRI-K Industries, Inc.
Phoenix Chemical, Inc.
Pilot Chemical
PMC Group
Premier Specialties, Inc.
Presperse
Provital Group
Rahn USA Corp.
Rossow USA
Salvona Technologies Inc.
Sandream Enterprises, LLC
Schülke Inc.
Sederma
Seiwa Kasei Co., Ltd.
Shanghai Oli Enterprises Co.,Ltd
Sinerga
Solabia Group
Spec-Chem Industry Inc.
Spectrum Chemical Mfg. Corp.
Symrise
TRI-K Industries, Inc.
Uniproma Personal Care Division
VVF LLC

There are more glycerin ingredients in Prospector! View them here… (EU)

 

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Filed Under: Personal Care & Cosmetics Tagged With: Category Deep Dive

About George Deckner

George Deckner brings over 40 years of experience as a formulating chemist to his role as a personal care and cosmetics industry expert at Prospector. His rich professional background in innovative product development, research, material science and exploratory formulation, as well as a passion for developing products that make people’s lives more comfortable and happy, inform the articles he writes for Knowledge.ULProspector.com.

In addition to lending his industry expertise to Prospector, George consults with personal care and cosmetics suppliers. He founded his consulting practice, Deckner Consulting Services, after retiring from Procter & Gamble in 2013, where he was a Victor Miles Research Fellow. While at Procter and Gamble, he worked in skin care product development, global fragrance development, and most recently oral care product development in the Oral Care Advanced Technology Innovation Group. Before being appointed a Victor Miles Research Fellow, he also served as Associate Director of Exploratory Formulation for skin care product development.

While at Procter & Gamble, George was one of the top inventors, with 354 granted and filed global patents (201 U.S. patents). He helped develop many of the core platform technologies used in skin care today with numerous products commercialized under the Olay, Bain de Soleil, Clearasil, Noxzema and SK2 brands.

Previously, George was a Senior Chemist and Manager in the area of skin care product development, as well as the Director of Exploratory Formulation for Charles of the Ritz Group. During this time, George received the President’s Cup Award for outstanding business contribution and developed numerous marketed skin care products under the Bain de Soleil, Jean Nate, Yves Saint Laurent and Charles of the Ritz Brands.

George is a current member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and is on the scientific advisory board for Cosmetics & Toiletries Magazine. He is a frequent guest lecturer for numerous key global suppliers, as well as for local and national SCC meetings.

George is an avid tennis player and follower of the sport. He lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Learn more about Deckner Consulting Services…

5 Responses to “Glycerin: A Significant Humectant”

  1. Christopher M. Smith says:
    April 7, 2015 at 10:30 am

    Dr. Deckner,

    I always find your posting very informative and interesting. Can you elaborate more on how glycerin helps with stability in the freeze thaw cycle. Particular with emulsions.

    THANKS!

  2. Arun Gupta says:
    August 27, 2019 at 5:22 am

    Hi is humectant glycerol vegan? Because I use ‘extra professional white’ chewingum and there I can see this glycerol. Thank you 🙂

  3. George Deckner says:
    August 28, 2019 at 3:58 am

    It acts like a antifreeze to depress the freezing point.

  4. George Deckner says:
    September 18, 2019 at 12:13 pm

    It depends whether the feedstock used to produce the Glycerin is Tallow or vegetable oil based.

  5. Corrie klomp says:
    November 13, 2019 at 6:06 pm

    Is there any palm oil in glyserol

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