INCI: Pentylene Glycol
| What | Humectant, Solvent, penetration enhancement, preservative booster |
| Usage rate | 1 – 3% typical; 1-8% max |
| Solubility | Water |
| Restrictions | Add at temperatures below 80℃ |
Pentylene glycol (PG) has various uses. It helps improve the efficacy of other ingredients in your formula. It acts as a humectant to keep the skin and hair hydrated. It also has antimicrobial properties.
Pentylene glycol is an alternative to glycerin, but is often used along side it in many formulas. It’s used to make other ingredients less sticky. It’s said to detackify glycerin.
I’ve read that some formulators also use it to help improve the viscosity if their product is slightly too thick. They also use it to improve the application (spreading) of whatever it’s in.
Before you start dumping this into everything, please note that it’s typically more expensive than glycerin. Many companies use it for skincare, preferring the cheaper glycerin and propanediol for haircare.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t use it in haircare! The cost will be higher for haircare formulas when you could save PG for your high quality skincare formulas and use the cheaper (and almost as effective) propandiol or glycerin for the hair.
Pentylene Glycol increases the penetration into the skin of other ingredients in your formula. This is especially helpful if you have actives that need additional help getting into the most important parts of the skin.
I use Pentylene Glyco BIO that is said to be made from renewable raw materials like sugar cane. It supposedly has the same properties as the synthetically produced version (2).
I’ve used Pentylene Glycol in the following formulas so check ’em out:
Watermelon AHA Serum (skin)
Pistachio Moist Hydration Serum (skin)
Green Tea Restore Cream (hair)
Bamboo Tea Tree Leave-in (hair)
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