The Myths and Realities of Propylene Glycol in Beauty Products and Soap
Please Note: We are not healthcare providers. This article is not intended to be used as an alternative to advice given by a healthcare professional. This article is for informational purposes only. Please contact your healthcare provider with medical questions or concerns.
There are a ton of articles on the safety and dangers of Propylene Glycol online. You will simultaneously read it is safe while also being told that it is basically antifreeze that you are putting on your skin.
So let's break this down and figure out what the myths and realities really are when it comes to Propylene Glycol in beauty products and soap.
In this post we will answer the following questions:
What is Propylene Glycol?
Is Propylene Glycol Antifreeze?
Does Propylene Glycol Cause Skin Irritation?
What is Propylene Glycol Used For?
Why is Propylene Glycol Used in Soap and Beauty Products?
What is Propylene Glycol?
The US Department of Health and Human Services, Agency For Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has specifically looked at Propylene Glycol. Propylene Glycol is a colorless, clear, liquid (1).
When looking to see if products contain Propylene Glycol there are a few other names it could be listed as:
1,2-propanediol
1,2-dihydroxypropane
methyl glycol
trimethyl glycol (1)
Sometimes people get Propylene Glycol confused with Ethylene Glycol due to them being very similar in their chemical structure. However, they are very different. Ethylene Glycol is toxic to humans and should not be consumed or used on skin (1).
Propylene Glycol is generally recognized as safe to consume and to put on skin (1). The reason it is classified as “generally safe” is due to a very specific reason.
Propylene Glycol can be toxic to humans when intravenously injected into the body at very high dosages (2, 3). Meaning for the public and everyday life this won’t be an issue due to not coming into contact with Propylene Glycol IV drips.
Is Propylene Glycol Antifreeze?
Another claim you will see is that Propylene Glycol is antifreeze. On the surface of course this is an alarming statement. However, Propylene Glycol is not antifreeze.
Some misleadingly make this claim because Propylene Glycol is one ingredient that is used to make antifreeze. While antifreeze is toxic to humans, not every ingredient in it is. Especially seeing as water makes up 50% of antifreeze (4).
Does Propylene Glycol Cause Skin Irritation?
You will also find articles claiming that Propylene Glycol is an irritant and can cause a skin reaction, however when this claim was studied they found that this was only the case when the Propylene Glycol wasn’t formulated to be non-irritating (5).
As long as Propylene Glycol is properly prepared to be non-irritating, skin irritation is extremely unlikely to occur (5). With all the research out there we can safely say that Propylene Glycol poses an extremely low risk to human health (1, 6).
What is Propylene Glycol Used For?
Propylene Glycol is most often used as an additive to absorb water and maintain moisture in foods, medicines, cosmetics, and soaps (7).
When put into foods, Propylene Glycol is usually added to help extend shelf life of pre-packaged and processed foods. These can be:
Baking mixes for cakes and cookies,
Seasoning blends, and
Salad dressings (8)
Propylene Glycol is often placed in IV and oral medications to help dilute another drug (9). Not all medicines are or need to be diluted; that decision is up to your healthcare providers.
Why is Propylene Glycol Used in Soap and Beauty Products?
Because Propylene Glycol is able to maintain moisture, this makes it a useful ingredient in cosmetics. Afterall, most people do not want their makeup to dry out after opening for example.
When it comes to placing Propylene Glycol in soap, again this helps the soap maintain moisture and can work in concert with humectants added to the soap, helping to condition the skin (5). Humectants bind to water and help reduce dry skin by breaking it down and nourishing the skin.
Because of this skin conditioning property and ability to maintain moisture, Propylene Glycol can be found in shampoos and conditioners along with soaps and deodorants.
The Bottom Line
We can safely say that Propylene Glycol poses an extremely low risk to human health and is considered generally safe to consume and use on your skin (1, 6). Propylene Glycol is not antifreeze (4) and when formulated correctly will not cause skin irritation (5).
Propylene Glycol is most often used as an additive to absorb water and maintain moisture in foods, medicines, cosmetics, and soaps (7). Propylene Glycol can work in concert with humectants that are often added to soap, helping to condition the skin (5).
Propylene Glycol can be found in some of our bath products, however low doses of it are used. While Propylene Glycol poses an extremely low risk to human health according to the research currently available, we do continue to monitor it.
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