Glycerin in cosmetics what is it

Greetings, dear blog readers! Do you think glycerin in cosmetology is beneficial or harmful? I often hear that he is actually an insidious villain in cosmetic products. They say it draws water from the deep layers of the skin, which leads to dehydration. Is this really so and why is this component needed? Let's figure it out together.

Glycerin: why is it needed in cosmetics

This component has earned its popularity due to its ability to effectively care for the skin. I won’t bore you with unnecessary terminology, I’ll just say that it is a viscous transparent liquid that can be mixed with water or alcohol. Due to its wide spectrum of action, it is used in everyday life, medicine, the food industry and cosmetology.

The main beneficial properties of glycerin that are successfully used in the beauty industry are:

1. Hydration. Absorbs moisture from the environment and ensures its penetration deep into the skin.
2. Protection. It is able to create a protective layer, protecting the epidermis from the negative effects of external factors. Glycerin takes part in exfoliating dead skin particles, making the skin smoother. Helps get rid of acne and make blemishes less noticeable.
3. Hypoallergenic. It does not provoke allergic reactions, peeling or irritation. Perfect for sensitive and thin skin.
4. Lifting effect. Smoothes out minor irregularities and helps get rid of wrinkles.
5. Good interaction with cosmetics. Due to its composition it acts as a stabilizer. It is able to increase the cleansing abilities of other ingredients in cosmetics.

The uniqueness and versatility of this component is obvious. However, there are situations when products with glycerin receive negative reviews. Depending on the dryness of the air in the room, this component can be both harmful and beneficial.

Glycerin in cosmetics

This component can easily be found on the label under the name Glycerin (Glycerol, Glycyl Alcohol). In terms of moisturizing properties, this component is second only to hyaluronic acid. No more than 5% of it is added to cosmetics. High concentration leads to the opposite effect.

For the active manifestation of moisturizing properties, a certain air humidity in the room is needed. Otherwise, it will draw moisture from the skin, drying out the epidermis.

Imagine a sponge that absorbs water. This is roughly how the glycerin molecule works, attracting moisture. But there is liquid inside and outside. And the molecule pulls water from where there is a lot of it.

At a temperature of 20-250C and air humidity of 45-65%, glycerin takes moisture from the air. In this case, cosmetics are good for the skin

Conversely, if these parameters are not respected indoors, this component can take moisture from our skin. And in this case, it does not moisturize the skin, but vice versa. Especially do not use a cream with glycerin in a dry room if it is in the 2nd or 3rd place on the list of active ingredients.

Glycerin is especially common in the following cosmetic products:

1. face and body creams;
2. serums that increase elasticity and tone;
3. cosmetic milk for body care;
4. antibacterial soap;
5. shower gels;
6. massage oil;
7. tonics;
8. face masks with a lifting effect;
9. moisturizing facial lotions;
10. strengthening anti-dandruff shampoos;
11. balms to soften dry skin on elbows and heels;
12. nourishing shaving creams;
13. hair conditioners;
14. toothpastes, etc.

Let's not forget that this is alcohol. Its action can be harsh and aggressive if used incorrectly. In summer, apply the cream to slightly damp skin. In winter - no earlier than an hour before going outside.

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Homemade masks with glycerin

Many women successfully use glycerin to make their own cosmetics. Recently, I myself have become interested in the topic of home care using this component. In liquid form, it is added to creams, masks, lotions, etc. It goes well with various oils: coconut, jojoba, olive. Based on my preferences and reviews from cosmetologists, I selected several effective recipes. I hope you enjoy them.

One important point: if you decide to create a miracle of cosmetology at home, try not to “cheat it up.” Use a few tips to avoid harm to your health:

1. Remember that using liquid in its pure form can lead to dehydration and dry skin. Monitor the air humidity in the room and do not be in direct sunlight after such cosmetic procedures.
2. Do not mix the component with silicone. Their combination creates a dangerous chemical compound. If you want to add glycerin to the cream, make sure that it does not contain this element.
3. Glycerin helps flush out melanin from the skin. This means that with regular use, it can become lighter. Take this fact into account when visiting a solarium and actively tanning. For the same reason, the component affects the skin in soap.

Hair mask “Glycerin + apple cider vinegar”

If you have dry, damaged and dull hair, this is the product for you. Take glycerin and vinegar in a 1:1 ratio (I take 1 teaspoon each), add a raw egg. Mix with 2 tablespoons of burdock oil. Apply the product along the length of your hair, wrap it in plastic wrap and a towel. You need to keep the mask for 40-60 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

Mask for oily and normal hair

Valuable properties make it possible to successfully use glycerin for hair as part of home cosmetics. For those who want to nourish their curls and give them shine, the following recipe is suitable. A teaspoon of glycerin is mixed with two egg yolks. Then add 3 drops of lemon essential oil. Distribute the resulting mixture over your hair and leave for 30 minutes. Afterwards, rinse your hair well with plenty of water.

Face mask “Glycerin + vitamin E”

The interaction of these two elements gives simply amazing results. If you want to make your skin smooth and elastic, get rid of rashes and peeling, use this miracle product. Mix the main ingredients: 30 ml. glycerin and 10 ampoules of vitamin E. Add 100 ml. chamomile decoction, 1 teaspoon of castor oil (can be replaced with camphor oil), mix thoroughly. Apply the mask to your face in an even layer and leave for 40-60 minutes.

Anti-wrinkle mask

To prepare this product you will need:

1. 1 tsp main ingredient;
2. 1 tsp honey;
3. 1 egg yolk;
4. 1 tbsp. l. chamomile decoction.

Connect all components. Apply the mixture to your face, rinse with cool water after 10 minutes. After this procedure, you will be 100% convinced that glycerin for the face is an indispensable product.

Mask "Refreshing"

A very simple recipe made from available ingredients will help you take care of sensitive skin around the eyes. Cook regular oatmeal with milk. Mix 1 tsp. this paste with the same amount of glycerin and add the egg yolk. Apply a thin layer around the eyes for 10-15 minutes. Remove residues with a damp cloth. This mask has a comprehensive effect and will help get rid of bags under the eyes, smooth out facial wrinkles, and remove dark circles.

Choosing cosmetics with glycerin

You will find many branded cosmetics containing glycerin. I really like products from Vichy and La Roche Posay. Therefore, my recommendations will concern these brands.

Mineral mask and cream Aqualia Thermal - gentle care for dehydrated facial skin. These products will help you get rid of the feeling of tightness, eliminate peeling and irritation. They have a calming, smoothing and restorative effect.

Sunscreens with glycerin from Vichy - will protect the skin after sunbathing, get rid of age spots, and prevent burns. This series is presented in the form of fluids, oils and creams with varying degrees of protection. It is possible to choose a suitable product for children's, young and mature skin.

Cicaplast baume B5 - an excellent moisturizing balm for hand and body care. This is a unique remedy for damaged and irritated skin. It does not cause allergies, relieves itching and flaking, and has an antibacterial effect. This balm is ideal for everyone: newborns, small children and adults. It is able to heal scratches and abrasions, remove irritation, and prevent dry skin.

The most popular and almost the most powerful moisturizing substance has faithfully served the beauty industry for decades, but in recent years it has increasingly come under fire and been criticized. Is it true that this cosmetic component is not as straightforward as it seems? Let's find out.

1. Glycerin in cosmetics
2. Effect on skin
3. Composition and components
4. Restrictions on use
5. Application of glycerin
6. Glycerin in cosmetics

Glycerin in cosmetics

Glycerin is an ingredient that has gained nationwide popularity (admit it, who in childhood did not smear the cracks on the skin of their hands with a viscous transparent thing from a pharmacy bottle?). For many years it has taken pride of place in cosmetics for the face and body. Its main task is to moisturize the skin. How does he perform it flawlessly?

Glycerin improves skin hydration levels © iStock

Glycerin is a trihydric alcohol. This means that its chemical formula includes three water molecules. It is due to this solid water group that glycerin has the following properties:

1. perfectly soluble in water;
2. attracts water from the environment.

Due to its special molecular structure and high hygroscopicity - the ability to attract water - glycerin is successfully used in cosmetics as an active moisturizing ingredient.

Effect on skin

In its effect on the skin, glycerin is very close to hyaluronic acid. These two substances are related by the same hygroscopicity. Glycerin also supplies the upper layers of the epidermis with water, drawing it out of the air. But glycerin is capable of more than just superficial hydration:

1. forms a film that attracts water to the surface of the skin;
2. opens waterways to the deep layers of the skin.

One molecule of glycerol can attract 10 molecules of water, and its volume will at least double. When applied to the skin, glycerin forms a hygroscopic film, moisturizing first the upper and then the lower layers of the epidermis. At the next stage, glycerin opens aquaporin channels that supply water to the deep layers of the epidermis.

Composition and components

Industrial glycerin is extracted from plant and animal raw materials or synthesized.

Animal glycerin isolated from pork fat.

Vegetable made from coconut and palm oil, as well as lemon balm.

Synthetic – synthesized from propylene.

Animal glycerin is used today much less frequently than its plant counterpart, which is more environmentally friendly and therefore more popular. Vegetable glycerin, produced from organic oils, is especially valued by adherents of natural cosmetics.

The quality of glycerin is determined not by the source of raw materials, but by the production technology - with or without chlorine. It is believed that glycerin produced without chlorine is purer, works better at low air humidity and does not irritate the skin.

Restrictions on use

Glycerin may cause irritation to sensitive skin if it contains chlorine particles. More expensive, pure and high-quality glycerin, produced using chlorine-free technology, does not cause negative consequences.

Glycerin is most often found in formulas for intense skin hydration.

Application of glycerin

Glycerin-based products are primarily aimed at moisturizing. But remember: as a hygroscopic substance, glycerin is absorbed by water from the environment. So the higher the air humidity, the better.

If the humidity level is below 45%, then glycerin, applied in pure form or in the form of a concentrated solution, can cause a feeling of tightness. To prevent this from happening, “seal” it with a fat-based product - cream or emulsion.

Glycerin is included in the formulas of various skin care products to maintain optimal moisture levels.

For dry skin

Dry skin is the most grateful consumer of glycerin-based cosmetics, which immediately brings relief and relieves the feeling of dryness.

For oily skin

It is part of moisturizing gels, softens the effect of acids in exfoliating products, and promotes good distribution of cosmetics with light textures.

For mature skin

Aging skin is characterized by a reduced level of moisture, so glycerin is often listed as an active ingredient in products labeled anti-age.

For the neck and eye area

These delicate areas especially need hydration, and glycerin is often included in creams created specifically for them.

Glycerin in cosmetics

Glycerin is used in various categories of cosmetic products and is usually added to enhance the moisturizing effect.

Cosmetic products with glycerin

Cosmetic products with glycerin

Super-moisturizing and toning sheet mask “Aqua Bomb”, Garnier

Cleanser Normaderm 3 in 1, Vichy

Cleansing lotion that tightens pores Normaderm, Vichy

Ultra Facial Oil Free Gel-Cream, Kiehl’s

normal, combination, oily

Soothing multi-regenerating balm Cicaplast Baume B5, La Roche-Posay

Glycerin in cosmetics is used as a moisturizer that copes well with dry skin. At the same time, it is the most controversial component in a cosmetic composition, since there is a constant stir around it on the Internet. This “terrible” and “terrible” component embodies almost all the evil of the world. Let's look at how justified these fears are? Should we really be afraid of him?

Glycerin - who is it and where does it come from?

Glycerin is a clear, colorless liquid with a thick viscous form. It is an alcohol containing three atoms.

Like water, it is the most common component of cosmetics. It is completely safe because it has been used in cosmetics for a long time and never shows side effects.

On the Internet it is usually divided into:

1. glycerol is a synthetic analogue that is endowed with terribly “harmful” qualities;
2. Glycerin is a beneficial plant substance.

There's actually a lot of confusion here. The fact is that this misunderstanding is born of ignorance of English terminology. This is the same component, it’s just that in English glycerol is the chemical substance itself, and glycerin is the substance used in cosmetics. It is the same substance, only its aqueous solution. So, in Russian the correct name is glycerin, and glycerol is a translation error from English.

How does glycerin work in cream?

Very often it is endowed with the qualities of hyaluronic acid, since it is also able to attract water molecules and retain moisture in the skin. It is a kind of sponge that absorbs a large amount of moisture and does not release it to the outside. It is also capable of drawing moisture from the air when it comes to low humidity environments. It is not for nothing that this component is added to moisturizing compositions, because it prevents moisture loss, thereby preventing dehydration and dry skin. It works well either on its own or in combination with other moisturizers. If you mix a drop of this alcohol with any moisturizing cream, it can soften and moisturize the roughest areas of the body: calluses on the hands, elbows and heels.

Part of its effect in the cream is determined by its beneficial properties:

1. able to absorb and retain moisture;
2. promotes skin regeneration;
3. improves the barrier-protective layer of the epidermis;
4. in some cases, it reduces the synthesis of melanin, but make no mistake, it does not whiten the skin, but it prevents increased melanin synthesis;
5. Recent scientific research has shown that it can play a role in the maturation of corneocytes - the scales that form the outer stratum corneum of the epidermis.

In other words, glycerin is an indispensable component of cosmetics. It is also added to hand creams and hair care products.

Passions around glycerin

So, glycerin is a completely safe substance, since it occurs naturally in fats and oils, and is also found in fermentation products of bread, wine and beer. In addition, it participates in the metabolism of humans and animals.

Previously, it was produced industrially from propylene, but currently there are oleochemistry technologies (environmentally friendly chemistry) that make it possible to produce pharmacopoeial glycerin (the one used in cosmetology). Large quantities are formed as a result of hydrolysis or randomization of vegetable oils (palm and coconut). All these chemical reactions are the source of the formation of this substance.

Thus, oleochemical glycerin, which is called vegetable glycerin, is no different from its chemical analogue. The origin of a substance does not determine its usefulness or harmfulness. Its molecules, regardless of the method of preparation, are completely indistinguishable from each other. Therefore, advertisers’ assurances that they use “natural” glycerin of plant origin, when competitors use a cheap synthetic analogue, are nothing more than a marketing ploy and lobbying for their products. All glycerin used in cosmetics is of plant origin and is quite cheap.

A more expensive option may be one grown according to certain environmental standards, as a result of which special agricultural technologies were used.

It is also incorrect to say that this substance must be in the correct concentration and proportion with other natural components of the cream. It doesn’t matter at all how natural all the other components are, because a cream without glycerin is impossible to find at all. The product that is presented as “natural” in organic cosmetics in order to make fabulous profits is absolutely identical to what is contained in an ordinary mass-market product. This is another marketing scam.

Glycerin and air humidity

It was once believed that relative air humidity is the main factor influencing the moisture content of the upper layer of the epidermis.

Thus, it was assumed that low air humidity makes the upper layer of the epidermis (stratum corneum) dehydrated, dry and irritated. It has now become known that dry air dries out only the first layers of cells in the stratum corneum, while the remaining layers, of which there are many more, remain moist.

There is also an opinion that glycerin, at air humidity above 70%, draws moisture from the air, and at lower humidity, it draws it from the lower layers of the epidermis, which are rich in moisture. However, this does not mean that it dries the skin or dehydrates it. Rather, it directs water from the deeper layers of the skin to the upper layer of the epidermis. But this process is a physiological norm; it is subject to modification and constantly adapts to environmental conditions. Moisture is constantly retained in the deep layers of the skin as a result of its blood supply, and in order for the skin to completely lose moisture, severe dehydration must occur.

In addition, high-quality hydration of the stratum corneum contributes to the normal state of the epidermis, its extensibility, firmness and elasticity. And the increase in moisture flow to the top layer of skin under the influence of glycerin is much more effective than its attraction from the air. In this case, not only the skin is moisturized, but also its barrier function is restored.

Sometimes the increased hygroscopicity of glycerin can play a cruel joke; in this case, cosmetic compositions can make the skin sticky and unpleasant to the touch. This happens when it is added to a cosmetic product as an independent substance. But if used in conjunction with other ingredients, you can create a high-quality moisturizer in which the alcohol itself increases the water content in the stratum corneum, and other occlusive components (forming a film on the surface of the skin) provide it with a protective film that prevents the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the epidermis and helping to restore the natural skin barrier.

Hyluronic acid is also a powerful humectant, but it has an excellent reputation. If we compare this alcohol with hyaluronic acid, then the methods of preserving water for these substances are almost the same. High molecular weight hyaluronic acid remains on the surface of the skin and creates a film on it that retains moisture. Low molecular weight hyaluronic acid penetrates deep into the dermis and retains moisture there. Our substance remains in the stratum corneum of the epidermis and retains moisture there. And yet no one laments the fact that low molecular weight hyaluronic acid, when the ambient humidity is low, takes moisture not from the air, but from the extracellular fluid. But this is precisely the way it moisturizes the upper layers of the skin.

What conclusions can be drawn?

It should be noted that any substance included in cosmetic compositions can cause a negative reaction of the skin. Thus, this substance can cause chemical reactions in combination with 70% ethyl alcohol. There are cases where irritation and an allergic reaction occurred as a result of applying a given percentage of ethyl alcohol together with glycerin to the skin of the hands. There have also been cases where allergy symptoms were observed after applying a glycerin patch mask to the face and mild irritation after using hand cream.

However, all the cases described above do not indicate its total harm, but simply individual intolerance to the substance. However, this cannot harm a person who is not prone to such reactions. Also, you should not trust any unverified rumors on the Internet, because in this case you are depriving your skin of an excellent moisturizing component. The harmfulness or usefulness of a substance should be determined not by rumors, but by expert opinions. All rumors about the “harmfulness” of glycerin are spread with the aim of lobbying for products without it, but it is not a fact that they are just as safe and effective.