Hexylene Glycol
What Is It?
Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol and Dipropylene Glycol are clear, practically colorless, liquids. In cosmetics and personal care products, these ingredients are used in the formulation of hair and bath products, eye and facial makeup, fragrances, personal cleanliness products, and shaving and skin care products.
Why Is It Used?
Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol and Dipropylene Glycol are used as solvents and viscosity decreasing agents in cosmtics and personal care products.
Scientific Facts
Butylene Glycol, or 1,3-Butanediol, dissolves most essential oils and synthetic flavoring substances. Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol and Dipropylene Glycol are glycols or glycol ethers. Glycols are a class of alcohols that contain two hydroxyl groups which are also called a diols.
Safety Information
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits Butylene Glycol to be used as a synthetic flavoring and adjuvant for direct addition to food. Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol and Dipropylene Glycol are allowed to be used as indirect food additives. For example, Butylene Glcyol may be used in polymeric coatings in contact with food, and Hexylene Glycol and Dipropylene Glycol may be used in adhesives in contact with food.
The safety of Butylene Glycol and related ingredients has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient ReviewThe Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) was established in 1976 as an independent safety review program for cosmetic ingredients. The CIR Expert Panel consists of independent experts in dermatology, toxicology, pharmacolgy and veterinary medicine. The CIR includes participation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Consumer Federation of America. (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol and Dipropylene Glycol are safe for use in cosmetics and personal care products.
In 2004, the CIR Expert Panel considered available new data on Butylene Glycol and the related ingredients and reaffirmed the above conclusion.
CIR Safety Review: The CIR Expert Panel noted that Butylene Glycol can be metabolized and used as a source of calories. The results of acute, subchronic, and chronic oral toxicity studies indicated a low order of toxicity for these glycols. Results of parenteral injection, inhalation, and acute and subchronic cutaneous toxicity studies likewise supported a low order of toxicity.
Butylene Glycol caused minimal to mild skin irritation but no evidence of sensitization. The glycols produced mild to severe ocular irritation with Hexylene Glycol producing the most severe irritation. A number of product formulations containing these glycols at concentrations up to 21.4% have been tested in various human skin irritation and sensitization assays. The degree of irritation produced depended upon the particular product. There was no correlation between the degree of irritation and the concentration of the glycol present in the product. There were no reactions indicative of skin sensitization to these glycols in any skin sensitization assays and no suggestions of phototoxicity or photosensitization.
FDA Code of Federal Regulations for Butylene Glycol
FDA Code of Federal Regulations for Hexylene Glycol and Dipropylene Glycol
Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol, Ethoxydiglycol and Dipropylene Glycol may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European UnionUnder the general provisions of the cosmetics regulation of the EU, ingredients appearing on the following function-specific annexes must comply with the listed restrictions and/or specifications: colorants (Annex IV), preservatives (Annex V), UV filters (Annex VI) and other ingredients with specific concentration limits and/or other restrictions (Annex III). Ingredients specifically prohibited from use in cosmetic products are listed in Annex II. Other ingredients listed in the EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng) may be used without restrictions..
More Scientific Information
Butylene Glycol, Hexylene Glycol and Dipropylene Glycol are aliphatic diols that function as solvents and viscosity decreasing agents in cosmetics and personal care products. Ethoxydiglycol, the ethyl etherAn organic compound that contains an oxygen atom bound to two hydrocarbon groups. An ether compound is often represented by R-O-R’. of diethylene glycol, contains only one hydroxyl group. It also functions as a solventSubstances, usually liquids, that are used to dissolve other substances. and viscosity decreasing agentSubstances that decrease the thickness of liquid cosmetic products.
Resources
Find out more about the regulation of Food Additives by the Food and Drug Administration
- Food Ingredients and Packaging
- Food Contact Substances
- Substances Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS“GRAS” is an acronym for the phrase Generally Recognized As Safe. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive, that is subject to premarket review and approval by FDA, unless the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excluded from the definition of a food additive.)
- Search the Code of Federal Regulations
- EU Cosmetics Inventory