What is glycerin?
Glycerin or glycerol is obtained from vegetable oils. It also occurs naturally in fermented products such as beer, wine and bread.
This substance was accidentally discovered in 1779 by a Swedish chemist who was heating a mixture of olive oil. He identified the resulting fat as glycerin.
Since the mid-19th century, people have used glycerin to make soap. The process involves heating certain vegetable oils and allowing the solution to cool and harden into a strip.
Although you can still make glycerin product differentiation of bathing soaps at home, it is widely available in over-the-counter (OTC) beauty products.
Read on to learn more about its potential benefits, what to look for in an OTC product, how to make it at home, and more.
What are the benefits of glycerin soap?
Unlike many OTC soaps, pure glycerin soap is completely natural. It contains alcohol, perfumes, or other chemicals that can irritate your skin.
This makes glycerin soap vegan and a great option for people with sensitive skin.
Your skin’s natural oils are often stripped away during the bathing process, whether through hot water or harsh products.
Glycerin can help maintain your skin’s natural moisture and prevent it from drying out too much.
At the same time, glycerin is non-greasy. This means it’s a good choice for anyone with oily or combination skin.
Is it really hypoallergenic?
Glycerin is considered non-toxic and environmentally friendly. But this does not necessarily mean that it is hypoallergenic.
“Hypoallergenic” is a term that means that a particular product is not likely to cause an allergic reaction. The US Food and Drug Administration does not recognize this feature or regulate how the term is used.
This means that cosmetic manufacturers can label their products hypoallergenic without having any scientific evidence to support their claim.
Although pure glycerin is not likely to cause an allergic reaction, any added ingredient in OTC products may. The only way to determine allergy risk is to do a patch test before doing a full program.
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