There really isn’t a mystery about what glycerin is. It is the glycerol part of triglycerides that make up all oils, both vegetable and animal. All oils and fats are combinations of triglycerides, which are three fatty acid molecules that combine with a single glycerol molecule. In the soap making process the fatty acids and the glycerol molecules are broken apart and reformed to make “soap.” In industrial soap making processes the glycerol molecules, glycerin, is separated out and used in industry, in cosmetics and in foods. In the handmade soap making process called cold process the retained glycerin in the soap bars help condition the skin, keep it from drying out and are beneficial.
Glycerin is a clear sweet tasting liquid and is about ten to fifteen percent heavier than water. It is not a whole “food/substance” since it has been separated from its wholeness in the original oil but other than that it is a useful ingredient when used appropriately. Glycerin is termed a humectant, which means that it is a substance that draws water to it. An excess of glycerin used on the skin can draw water out of the cells and towards the glycerin but in small quantities it can draw water to the skin from the atmosphere. An old fashioned recipe for hand lotion was Rosewater and Glycerin that women made them selves before the onset of mass marketed body care products. Glycerin is also used to make Glycerites of herbs, glycerin and water used in equal quantities to extract the herbal properties as a non-alcohol base for use by children and adults who are sensitive to alcohol.
In my body care products I use glycerin in wash off formulas because I don’t like the sticky feel of it in creams and lotions that stay on the skin. So it is only found in my cleanser, scrub and wet masks, all products that are washed off after a relatively short period of time. I also make a few herbal glycerites for people who want them. The vegetable glycerin that I use is made from palm oil.
It is what it is - a useful ingredient that is not made from petroleum products. Some of the alternatives to glycerin in the synthetic world are propylene or ethylene glycol, Dimethicone and carbitol, serious chemicals that I would never want to use on my skin.
August 4, 2009
