Also known as glycerol, glycerin is a natural compound produced from a vegetable oil and other products or synthesized from propylene alcohol. Glycerin is a beauty care chemical that is added to many skin care products because it is well tolerated by the body and gives skin a healthy, natural appearance. Glycerin’s benefits are far-reaching, and its medicinal properties not only make the skin appear healthy, but actually improves the skin’s overall health.

If you have ever suffered psoriasis, you know the itching, flaking skin associated with this disorder is irritating, embarrassing, and painful. Psoriasis occurs because the outermost layers of epidermal cells are shed before they mature, causing thick, scaly patches that flake away with the slightest touch. According to research, applying glycerin to psoriasis signals the cells within the psoriasis patches to mature normally, which gives the skin a more even appearance without the blemishes associated with psoriasis.

Being a humectant, glycerin attracts moisture to the epidermis. When this beauty care chemical is applied to the surface of the skin, glycerin seals in moisture to maintain water homeostasis within the body’s cells. Not only is the skin sealed, glycerin also increases the thickness of the corneocytes, or the outermost layer of skin, relieving extremely dry skin and forming a stronger protective barrier between the body and the external environment. Glycerin also assists in soothing and curing bruised or swollen skin. The softness noted with glycerin use is due to the degradation of the corneodesmosomes that link together skin cells. When these links are broken, cells are shed in a more uniform fashion, which leaves the skin more smooth and even.

Given these examples, it’s no wonder glycerin is used in mouthwash, toothpaste, bar soaps, deodorants, cosmetics, hair care products, and shower gels. If you have not already tried glycerin, now is the ultimate time to benefit from this beauty care chemical’s myriad of uses.

For additional information on glycerine, or other beauty care chemicals, contact the professionals at Bell Chem today.