Glycerin has been an integral part of many skincare products for over 50 years and despite or perhaps because of this, the ingredient has a reputation for drying out the skin. However, let's take it one step at a time:
Glycerin is a natural component of the skin and therefore very well tolerated by even sensitive skin, because our body is already familiar with the ingredient. For skincare products, glycerin can either be dervied from:
- animal,
- plant-based or
- synthetically derived.
Like all our ingredients, the glycerin used in kluuf skincare products is exclusively vegan.
Why is glycerin used in facial creams
Otherwise referred to as a hygroscopic, glycerin draws moisture and binds it to itself (comparable to the a magnet). This effect helps the skin maintain a healthy moisture level, resulting in a fresh appearance. These properties are very similar to the ingredient hyaluronic acid, although the latter is not quite as easily absorbed by the skin.
Another beneficial effect of glycerin is that the ingredient reduces the irritation of the skin. kluuf uses this advantage in the cleanser and aftershave, as both facial cleaning and shaving affect the skin's natural barrier, which can lead to irritation. Glycerin counteracts this and thus prevents possible irritation of the skin and unpleasant redness
Glycerin therefore does not dry out the skin
Although it may sound contradictory, glycerin can actually dry out our skin, even though it is a humectant:
As mentioned above, the ingredient magnetically pulls water. Here, it doesn't matter where the water comes from, and this can be exactly the problem. Basically, there are three options in skin care:
- Water already in the skin
- Water from the surroundings (e.g. humidity)
- Water from the care product used
If the active ingredient doesn't have the possibility to attract the needed moisture from the environment (2.) or neighboring ingredients (3.), water that is already bound in the skin is attracted. The skin is thus left dehydrated.
Moisture or dryness therefore dependent on the formulation
Glycerin can either dry out our skin or sustainably moisturize and strengthen it. In order for the positive benefits for the skin to fully unfold, the right concentration of glycerin (maximum 10%) must be chosen and complementary ingredients such as water (INCI: Aqua) or water-containing ingredients such as aloe vera (INCI: Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract) supplied at the same time.
As an example, our face cream uses a concentration of about 4% vegan glycerin, while combining it with hyaluronic acid for a powerful combination.
Glycerin can be found in all of our skincare products, whether it's kluuf's face cream, aftershave, body lotion, and even our facial cleanser.
If there are any questions left unanswered or you'd like to read a similar article about another ingredient, feel free to drop us an email or simply message us on Instagram.
