Database/Humectant/Propylene Glycol
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Propylene Glycol natural?

No. Propylene glycol is manufactured from petrochemical propylene oxide; this site's method classifies it flatly as petrochemical.

INCI namePropylene Glycol
CAS57-55-6
FormulaC3H8O2 · 76.09 Da
FunctionHumectant · Fragrance
FeedstockPropylene Glycol is produced industrially by hydrolysis of…

How we scored it

Propylene glycol explicitly listed as a petrochemical fragment (propylene-oxide derived) -> 0.0
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

How it’s made

Propylene oxide hydration (base-catalysed). Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Propylene Glycol is produced industrially by hydrolysis of petrochemical propylene oxide. A bio-based route from glycerin exists but is treated as petrochemical by this site's convention.

In plain English

A humectant and solvent used in countless lotions, serums and makeup to keep products moist and help ingredients blend. It's made from propylene oxide, a petroleum-derived building block.

CosIng definition: Propylene Glycol is the aliphatic alcohol that conforms generally to the formula

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Structure

2D structure of Propylene Glycol

propane-1,2-diol

PubChem CID 1030 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2Propylene Glycol. PubChem CID 1030. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PROPYLENE GLYCOL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PROPYLENE GLYCOL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PROPYLENE%20GLYCOL