Butylene Glycol
Butylene glycol is a common ingredient in many skin care products. In addition to softening and moisturizing the skin t acts as a solvent for ingredients and enhances their stability, texture, and absorption.
Benefits:
Hydrates the skin: Butylene glycol has humectant properties. Humectants attract and bind water, often from deeper layers of the skin into the top layers. They help keep the skin hydrated and moisturized.
Softens and moisturizes: Aside from drawing moisture to the skin, butylene glycol is also an emollient. It coats the skin’s surface, creating a barrier that prevents water loss.
Maintains texture: Butylene glycol’s primary role in most skin care products is to act as a solvent. Solvents help ingredients stay suspended in formulas, preventing them from clumping together or becoming gritty.
Reduces viscosity; Butylene glycol helps reduce the product’s viscosity, stopping other ingredients from sticking together. This is important to maintain the smooth consistency of products so that a person can effortlessly and evenly apply them to their bodies.
Stabilizes products: Butylene glycol also acts as a stabilizer, preventing active ingredients and volatile compounds from losing their flavor and aroma. Moreover, it prevents products from crystallizing and drying out.
Acts as a preservative; Butylene glycol has antimicrobial properties, which helps boost the effectiveness of preservatives in formulations. It also helps protect against spoilage due to contamination by microorganisms.
Treats acne symptoms; According to an older study, butylene glycol is an ingredient that manufacturers commonly use in anti-acne moisturizers. While butylene glycol has no direct action against acne, its antimicrobial and moisturizing properties may help treat associated symptoms in acne-prone skin.
