Ethylhexylglycerin, Explained: What the CIR Found on Use Levels Up to 8 Percent, Five Patch Tests Below 1 Percent and Three Allergy Case Reports
Ethylhexylglycerin turns up near the end of many ingredient lists, often right beside phenoxyethanol, and it is easy to wonder whether it is a preservative, a moisturizer or just filler. This guide goes to a primary source. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), the US industry-funded expert panel that assesses cosmetic ingredient safety, reviewed ethylhexylglycerin together with nine related alkyl glyceryl ethers in a final report from its December 2011 meeting. We read that report and summarize what it measured, at what concentrations and where it left open questions.
What it is and what the label is doing with it
The report describes ethylhexylglycerin as the condensation product of 2-ethylhexanol and glycerin. It has limited solubility in water, about 0.1 percent, and dissolves readily in organic solvents. In the cosmetic ingredient dictionary it is listed as a deodorant agent and a skin-conditioning agent, not as a preservative. The trade form discussed, Sensiva SC 50, is more than 99 percent ethylhexylglycerin.
Why it sits next to preservatives
According to information the report cites from the supplier, ethylhexylglycerin inhibits odor-causing bacteria and enhances the efficacy of preservatives such as phenoxyethanol, methylisothiazolinone or methylparaben. Blends of it with phenoxyethanol are sold as ready-made systems. That is supplier information relayed by the report, not a CIR finding, so read it as a reason the pairing is common rather than proof of how any one formula performs. Our guide to phenoxyethanol covers the partner ingredient.
How much is used
The report draws on 2011 FDA registration data and an industry concentration survey run in 2010, so the numbers are a snapshot rather than today's market. For ethylhexylglycerin, 952 products with skin contact were reported, with concentrations from 0.000001 up to 8 percent. The 8 percent figure is the maximum in rinse-off products. Underarm deodorants, 89 products, ranged from 0.04 to 2 percent, and sprays from 0.01 to 2 percent. Most leave-on uses sit far below the rinse-off ceiling.
What reaches the body
The report includes two kinds of absorption data. In a laboratory test on human skin using ethanol-water solutions, 44.65 to 54.94 percent of the applied dose reached the receptor fluid at the three doses tested, with the lowest dose based on a 2 percent cream. That is a worst-case style test with a solvent, not a finished cream on a face. In rabbits, blood samples after skin application were below the detection limit of 1.03 micrograms per milliliter. The panel weighed these together with the low toxicity results it reviewed.
Irritation and sensitization tests
Undiluted ethylhexylglycerin caused severe eye damage in rabbits, which is why concentration matters. A 5 percent aqueous solution was only mildly irritating to rabbit eyes and the redness cleared within 24 hours. On skin, rabbit tests found it could not be classed as an irritant. A guinea pig maximization test showed no sensitization, and a local lymph node assay at concentrations up to 50 percent did not classify it as a sensitizer.
Human patch tests on finished products
Five repeated-insult patch tests were reported on finished products, each with no irritation or allergy found: a facial cream at 0.4975 percent (600 subjects), a foundation at 0.4 percent (108), a liquid eyeliner at 0.5 percent (115), a makeup at 0.995 percent (111) and a fragranced body lotion at 0.6965 percent (108). All were below 1 percent. The human tests described in the report all sat below that line, so they say little about the higher end of the range.
The exceptions: three case reports
The report also lists allergic contact dermatitis in three women aged 57, 64 and 68. Each reacted to ethylhexylglycerin in petrolatum, at 10 percent in one case and 5 percent in the other two, while control subjects tested negative. Two of the three followed use of a facial cream containing the ingredient, and the third was tested with ingredients supplied by a manufacturer. Such cases are rare against the number of products on the market, but they show why a negative group result does not rule out an individual reaction. The difference between a one-time irritation and a true allergy is explained in our guide to irritant versus allergic contact dermatitis.
Short version
The CIR Expert Panel concluded that ethylhexylglycerin is safe in the present practices of use and concentration described in its report. It is a deodorant and conditioning ingredient that also helps preservatives work, it is used mostly at low levels, and the reported reactions are rare but real. If you have reacted to a cream with a short ingredient list, check whether this appears on it, and test any new product first using our patch-test method. This article is educational, not medical advice: see a dermatologist for rashes, persistent irritation or suspected allergy.
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