The debate of Propanediol vs Propylene Glycol often arises among many people. It is a certain fact that they can be interchanged as alternatives and could perform pretty well.
However, despite sharing the same chemical formulae, these two products vary in chemical structures. Such a difference brings a lot of other variations between the two elements, which leads to one of them being better than the other on different grounds,
Read this article below to get proper insights on the same and about a few other related content.
Is Propanediol the same as Propylene Glycol?
This common thought pops up in people’s minds when related topics are discussed in the room. Regardless of the confusion, you would like to know that propylene glycol happens to be a synthetic alternative to propanediol.
These two elements differ not only in structures but also in their respective origins. While propanediol has been derived from corn, propylene glycol is extracted from petrochemicals.
Propanediol vs Propylene Glycol – which is better?
Even though Propylene Glycol is a good ingredient for skincare products, Propanediol is safer than Propylene Glycol.
If safety concerns arise, propanediol can be chosen without analysing. Skin issues like irritation and sensitivity problems are noticed less during the use of propanediol.
What is Propanediol, and what are its functions?
Propanediol is a colourless liquid that has been taken from corn and can be used as a renewably sourced substitute to glycols which get extracted from petroleum.
Propanediol had been initially brought into the market to make a living better for people by serving as a healthier substitute for petroleum-extracted Propylene Glycol.
When this element combines with sodium stearate (soap), it forms a more solid or dense state. At the time of suspension in a gel, the rest of the ingredients are usually added in a way by which the customers are satisfied with the final result.
For consistency and stability, the highly-pure food-grade nature of propanediol made it easily usable with glycerin and applied in daily usage materials like gel toothpaste and various types of mouthwash.
How is Propanediol prepared?
Propanediol, the petroleum-free substitute for Propylene Glycol, gets manufactured using propylene with chlorinated water to form chlorohydrin.
This solution further gets treated with sodium carbonate solution.
It is also sometimes prepared by heating glycerol with sodium hydroxide.
Ways in which Propanediol turns out to be useful for Skin.
This petroleum-free element has its role as a humectant, emollient, and solvent in various types of skin care products. This nature of propanediol makes it easily available in the form of moisturisers, creams, lotions, toners, eye shadows, serums, antiperspirants, eyeliners, foundations, and many such materials.
Let’s understand these ideas in detail!
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Function as a Humectant (moisture retaining).
Serving as a humectant is a common scenario seen for Propanediol in skin care products.
When used in a product, the element works as a medium to pull the moisture from the air around you and help it get retained in the skin. In such a way, your skin can remain smooth and healthy all day long.
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Function as a Solvent.
Propanediol in skin care products acts as an efficient solvent for the inclusive elements that can cause difficulty in dissolution; ferulic acid and salicylic acid can be exemplified the same.
Propanediol can absorb any such ingredient that stands necessary for optimal application. The element has been considered extremely fruitful for increasing the composition of various product formulae.
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Betters Acne-Prone Skin.
Propanediol is known to have a deep cleansing ability which aids in removing dirt and oil from the core area of your skin. The presence of such impurities can harm the skin and weaken the quality of your skin.
However, propanediol helps remove all sorts of clogged pores in your skin, providing major help to people with acne-prone or sensitive skin.
The natural pH of your skin does not get stripped off with propanediol.
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Decreases Viscosity.
In various skin care products and cosmetics like cleansers, shampoos, hair sprays, mascaras, foundations, body washes, conditioners, etc., propanediol helps lessen their viscosity.
Propanediol helps the formulae flow well across the skin and serves all its advantages.
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Makes the skin soft.
The emollient properties of propanediol act as a way to prevent your skin from excessive water loss. It reduces the overall water loss and makes your skin get softer and smoother in the process.
This property of Propanediol makes the element a boon for all people with dry skin.
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Provides light-weight texture
Propanediol functions effectively in providing a lightweight and non-greasy feel to your skin. Such a texture helps the application and quick dissolutions of products applied to your skin.
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Preservative Booster.
As a preservative booster in many cosmetic products, propanediol helps improve the efficiency of the preservatives, such that the quality of the product does not get stooped below.
It ensures the perfect texture retaining of your skin.
With these multiple benefits, propanediol stands out as a better choice than Propylene Glycol and happens to be very different from each other.
What are the side effects of Propanediol, if any?
A 2010 study concluded that Propanediol causes minimal negative effects on our skin. However, even though propanediol is a better ingredient than propylene glycol, the tendency of skin sensitivity issues persists and varies from person to person. Despite that, the probability of such an incident taking place is low.
Propanediol has been safe for ingested food products other than cosmetic products by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
For whom can Propanediol be inappropriate?
Propanediol is a relatively safe element that can be used without much hassle. However, people with a tendency for allergies or are sensitive to many other products should use propanediol with care.
If you are already sensitive to propylene glycol, consider taking a patch test before using propanediol as an ingredient in your daily skincare products.
Your skin all the way!
It is an important takeaway from our side that you should prioritise your skin’s needs the most.
Despite Propanediol being a better element than Propylene Glycol, it is important to know the little things about your skin and use the right products accordingly!