GLYCERIN
aka C₃H₈O₃ and a formula staple

You may have heard buzzing and hoopla surrounding glycerin over on TikTok and Instagram this past year, though glycerin has always been a star well deserving of its limelight. Its efficacy lies far beyond a trend or surge of random popularity, so we're here to gush all about it.

Glycerin is naturally occurring in all animals and plant matter in the form of 'glycerides' which are found in fats, oils, and in the lipids of intracellular spaces. Today, the glycerin used in skincare is mainly derived from botanical sources or chemically synthesized in a lab.

We can all thank Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele-who in 1779 accidentally isolated the ingredient while making soap from olive oil-for all our cherished glycerin products of today. According to the FDA's Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program, in 2014 glycerin was the third most common ingredient used, after water and fragrance. We think Carl would be proud.

This good-for-all skin types humectant-an ingredient that is hydroscopic (water binding and loving)-works by clinging onto and pulling in moisture from the deeper layers of skin and its surrounding environment, thus providing hydration, helping retain moisture, plumping the skin, and ultimately strengthening your skin barrier. After all, our skin operates most efficiently when its moisture levels are replenished and balanced.

Other valuable functions of glycerin include alleviating irritation and redness, acting as a skin protectant for wound healing, enhancing absorption of other ingredients, and emollient properties such as conditioning the skin.

glycerin's rÉsumÉ

	Often compared and outshined by another water-loving counterpart, hyaluronic acid, glycerin is actually able to penetrate much deeper in the skin due to its smaller molecular size.
	Depending on the concentration used, glycerin helps to repair and treat burns and scars on the body by locking in moisture and preventing water loss, thus providing the perfect environment to aid skin healing.
	Glycerin can work alone though is a team player at its best-it thrives alongside other humectants and emollients to boost hydration and moisture benefits.

Glycerin can work effectively on its own, though its benefits are amplified when used alongside other humectants (ingredients like panthenol and aloe), emollients (squalane oil for example), and/or occlusives (like shea butter).

A great example of this from our range is Speed Soak. This product's purpose is to rehydrate and replenish skin's hydration levels and its hero ingredients, glycerin at 6% and Aquaxyl at 5%, work together to achieve this for a prolonged period of time. According to Seppic, the ingredient manufacturer of Aquaxyl, a combo of these two ingredients provides 30% more hydration than glycerin would alone.

Glycerin in its pure state is quite sticky, so it takes a careful formulation process to achieve elegant textures and product application experiences, while still taking advantage of all the benefits that glycerin has to offer.

We are so charmed by glycerin that it's actually in every single one of our formulas. Some of our formulas feature glycerin as a hero ingredient-Comfort Cleanse has a whopping 25%, Speed Soak (as mentioned above) has 6%, and Software Update has 5%-while our other products contain it within their general ingredients list

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our entire glycerin-filled range


Comfort Cleanse	Software Update	Speed Soak

Buffing Bar	Smoothing Solution	Carea Cream

Clearing Mist	Theraplush Case + Pod Set	Theraplush Refill Pod

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