Skin Care Ingredients to look out for - Glycerine (glycerol)

 

Glycerine belongs to a group of compounds called Triglycerides. Triglycerides are considered to be among the best moisturizers in cosmetics. Glycerine is a thick oily substance which looks something like transparent odourless vegetable oil without any smell. It is made from plants such as Soya bean and animal material such as tallow from livestock.In cosmetics it is used as a humectant. This means that it is applied to the skin for purpose of keeping the skin moisturized. It does this by forming a thin film over the outer skin which does not allow moisture through. It then draws up moisture from the deeper layers of skin to the outer layers.

Glycerine performs best when it is combined with several other healthy ingredients such as other Triglyceride, petrolatum (like vaseline), Shea butter, Olive oil, Cocoa butter, Dimethicone and Lanolin. In addition to its moisturizing properties glycerin is also a bacteriostatic compound which means it can render infectious bacteria immobile and unable to reproduce. Although it will not kill bacteria it is still effective as a preservative agent.

In summary, the benefits of Glycerine are:

1) It is a deep moisturizer and helps keep the skin to stay hydrated. It is excellent for dry skin.

2) It makes the skin look fresh with a healthy glow and smooth texture.

3) The sum total effect of using Glycerine daily is that it improves the skins over all good health.


Resources -  livestrong.com; paulaschoice.com; wikipedia.org; webmd.com; dermreview.com