vegetable oil skincare

What is "PROPYLENE GLYCOL" and what does it do?

Role: HUMECTANT/SOLVENT

Family: ALLERGEN,GLYCOL

Comedogenic index: 0

Propylene glycol, also known as 1,2-propanediol, is a humectant used to moisturize the skin. It improves the absorption of active ingredients into the skin and stabilizes cosmetic formulas in extreme temperatures.

Propylene glycol can be a skin irritant: It was voted Allergen of the Year in 2018 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society. This type of allergy remains rare, but we must be vigilant about the position of propylene glycol in the Inci list of ingredients. If propylene glycol is at the beginning of the list, the risk of allergy is not excluded. If it's at the end of the Inci list, the risk becomes very, very rare.

Technical details:
Propylene glycol is a colorless liquid whose main role is generally to improve the freeze-thaw stability of products. This means it ensures that a product does not freeze or melt at low or high temperatures. To achieve this, small quantities - usually less than 2 % - are used.

Find out more about "Inci" cosmetic ingredients