Beauty ingredient · Humectant / solvent
Propylene glycol
A humectant and solvent; it can irritate sensitive skin at high levels.
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A minor or very limited concern, such as being an ultra-processing marker only. The concern level sets how many points propylene glycol costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
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Contact allergenStrong evidence
Named Allergen of the Year 2018 by the American Contact Dermatitis Society; it can cause irritant and allergic reactions. [1]
Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.
Popular products that list propylene glycol
13 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list propylene glycol. The 12 most scanned:
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Crema Manos S'nonas · 150 mL Score 72 out of 100 Good -
Essentials with NATURAL DEODORIZERS JUNIPER BERRY DEODORANT Arm & Hammer · 2.5 oz (71 g) Score 93 out of 100 Excellent -
Essentials Rosemary Lavender Arm & Hammer Score 93 out of 100 Excellent -
Regular Speed Stick · 3 oz Score 93 out of 100 Excellent -
Fiji Deoderant Old Spice · 3.0 oz (85 g) Score 93 out of 100 Excellent -
Pure Sport Old Spice Score 92 out of 100 Excellent -
Swagger Deodorant Old Spice · 3.0 oz (85 g) Score 93 out of 100 Excellent -
Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream Cetaphil · 16 oz Score 97 out of 100 Excellent -
Fresh Falls Deodorant Dr. Squatch · 2.65 oz Score 92 out of 100 Excellent -
Vanicream Moisturizing Lotion Vanicream Score 97 out of 100 Excellent -
CeraVe CeraVe · 355 mL Score 92 out of 100 Excellent -
Liquid Hand Soap Pump, Aquarium Series Softsoap · 7.5 fl oz Score 86 out of 100 Excellent
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (3)
- 1 2 propanediol
- propylene glycol
- monopropylene glycol
Sources
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“Allergic and irritant contact dermatitis and systemic cutaneous reactions to PG, which has become an increasingly common ingredient, have been documented.”
doi.org