GLYCERIN
Denaturant; Fragrance Ingredient; Hair Conditioning Agent; Humectant; Oral Care Agent;Oral Health Care Drug; Skin-Conditioning Agent - Humectant; Skin Protectant; Viscosity Decreasing Agent; PERFUMING; SOLVENT
Also listed as
CONCENTRATED GLYCERIN; GLYCERINE; GLYCEROL; GLYCYL ALCOHOL; 1,2,3-PROPANETRIOL; 1,2,3-TRIHYDROXYPROPANE; 1,2,3PROPANETRIOL; 1,2,3-PROPANETRIOL; 1,2,3-TRIHYDROXYPROPANE; 90 TECHNICAL GLYCERINE; CITIFLUOR AF 2
Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to this ingredient -- not the products containing it -- caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility -- information not available in Skin Deep.
| This ingredient: | |
 | Cancer |
| Developmental/reproductive toxicity |
 | Violations, restrictions & warnings |
| Allergies/immunotoxicity |
| Contamination concerns |
 | Other moderate concerns for this ingredient: Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Occupational hazards |
| Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Data gaps, Biochemical or cellular level changes |
|
See products containing GLYCERIN | |
About GLYCERIN: Glycerin is the polyhydric alcohol that conforms generally to the formula: In the United States, Glycerin may be used as an active ingredient in OTC drug products. When used as an active drug ingredient, the established name is Glycerin. See "Regulatory and Ingredient Use Information," regarding the labeling names for U.S. OTC Drug Ingredients in Volume 1, Introduction, Part A.
This ingredient may be derived from animals. From PETA's Caring Consumer: A byproduct of soap manufacture (normally uses animal fat). In cosmetics, foods, mouthwashes, chewing gum, toothpastes, soaps, ointments, medicines, lubricants, transmission and brake fluid, and plastics. Derivatives: Glycerides, Glyceryls, Glycreth-26, Polyglycerol. Alternatives: vegetable glycerin—a byproduct of vegetable oil soap. Derivatives of seaweed, petroleum.
GLYCERIN has reported used in the following product types: facial moisturizer/treatment (2462); moisturizer (1989); anti-aging (1481); facial cleanser (1119); hair color and bleaching (1102); body wash/cleanser (964); conditioner (693); foundation (583); shampoo (578); sunscreen: SPF 15-30 (563)
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show kidney or renal system effects at very low doses | RTECS®- Nephron 1978 | |
| show more | ||
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show reproductive effects at moderate doses | RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika 1985 | |
| show more | ||
Cancer
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells show positive mutation results | RTECS®- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 1982 | |
| show more | ||
Occupational hazards
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Allowed workplace exposures restricted to moderate doses | RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2005 | |
| Allowed workplace exposures restricted to moderate doses | RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2006 | |
| Allowed workplace exposures restricted to moderate doses | RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2007 |
Endocrine disruption
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show endocrine system disruption at high doses | RTECS®- BIOFAX Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories, Inc 1970 |
Neurotoxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show brain and nervous system effects at high doses | RTECS®- "Toxicology of Drugs and Chemicals," Deichmann, W 1969 | |
| show more | ||
Biochemical or cellular level changes
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show biochemical changes at high doses where the human health implications are not yet well understood | RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya 1984 |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show skin irritation at moderate doses | RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J 1986 | |
| show more | ||
Data gaps
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not assessed for safety in cosmetics by industry panel | ||
| 8,125 studies on toxicity in PubMed see search results -> | PubMed |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Food Additive Status | |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
Ecotoxicology
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List |
Government, industry, academic studies and classifications
| government/industry list/academic study | appears on list as | classification(s) |
| FDA Food Additive Status | GLYCERIN | • miscellaneous • Substances generally recognized as safe in foods but limited in standardized foods where the standard provides for its use • Food additive: must be in accordance with good manufacturing practices, or sufficient for purpose; or in quantity not greater than required • refers to part number under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 169 • Food Flavorings • 182.1320 • refers to part number under Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations 582 - Animal feeds |
| FDA Food Additive Status | GLYCEROL | • See glycerin |
| CHE Toxicant and Disease Database | GLYCEROL | •Limited evidence in humans: renal system toxicity; Condition: acute tubular necrosis; Organs/tissues affected: kidney |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | GLYCERIN | • Fully up-to-date toxicology information has been sought. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | 1,2,3-PROPANETRIOL | •This chemical was NOT flagged by CEPA for further attention. The chemical was flagged for as a low human health priority. |
| National Library of Medicine HazMap | GLYCERIN MIST | •TLV (ACGIH) - Threshold limit value (ACGIH): 10 ppm; •Flammability (NFPA) - NFPA flammability code: 0 = will not burn; 1 = must be preheated; 2 = high ambient temp required; 3 = may ignite at ambient temp; 4 = burn readily: 1: must be preheated; |
| Klaassen, C | GLYCERIN MIST | •Cardiovascular or blood toxicity hazards: suspected |
| RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2005 | GLYCERIN | • occupationally related - ACGIH TLV (human TWA) |
| RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2006 | GLYCERIN | • occupationally related - ACGIH TLV (human TWA) |
| RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2007 | GLYCERIN | • occupationally related - ACGIH TLV (human TWA) |
| RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J 1986 | GLYCERIN | • sense organ - Primary eye irritant (rabbit ) • skin - Primary skin irritant (rabbit ) |
| RTECS®- "Toxicology of Drugs and Chemicals," Deichmann, W 1969 | GLYCERIN | • brain and nervous system - Headache ( human TDLo) • gastrointestinal - Nausea or vomiting ( human TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Arzneimittel-Forschung 1976 | GLYCERIN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (rat LD50) |
| RTECS®- Arzneimittel-Forschung 1978 | GLYCERIN | • brain and nervous system - Altered sleep time (including change in righting reflex) (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- BIOFAX Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories, Inc 1970 | GLYCERIN | • endocrine system - Changes in adrenal weight (rat TDLo) • sense organ - Primary eye irritant (rabbit ) |
| RTECS®- Cancer Letters (Shannon, Ireland) 2000 | GLYCERIN | • cancer - Facilitates action of known carcinogen (mouse TDLo) • skin - Tumors (mouse TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Cancer Letters (Shannon, Ireland) 2005 | GLYCERIN | • cancer - Facilitates action of known carcinogen (mouse TDLo) • cancer - respiratory tumor formations - equivocal (mouse TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Contraception 1984 | GLYCERIN | • reproductive - Male fertility index (rat TDLo) • reproductive - Spermatogenesis (rat TDLo) • reproductive - Testes, epididymis, sperm duct (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Contraception 1989 | GLYCERIN | • reproductive - Spermatogenesis (monkey TDLo) • reproductive - Testes, epididymis, sperm duct (monkey TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Delaware State Medical Journal 1959 | GLYCERIN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (rabbit LD50) |
| RTECS®- Drugs in Japan (Ethical Drugs) 1982 | GLYCERIN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Eksperimental'naya i Klinicheskaya Farmakologiya 1992 | GLYCERIN | • kidney or renal system - Renal function tests depressed (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Experimental Lung Research 1987 | GLYCERIN | • respiratory - Structural or functional change in trachea or bronchi (mouse TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Farmatsevtichnii Zhurnal (Kiev) 1977 | GLYCERIN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Federation Proceedings, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 1945 | GLYCERIN | • brain and nervous system - General anesthetic (rat LD50) • brain and nervous system - Muscle weakness (rat LD50) • liver - Other changes (rat LD50) |
| RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya 1984 | GLYCERIN | • biochemical - True cholinesterase (rat TDLo) • blood - Changes in leucocyte (WBC) count (rat TDLo) • blood - Changes in serum composition (eg., TP, bilirubin, cholesterol) (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 1941 | GLYCERIN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (guinea pig LD50) |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition 1950 | GLYCERIN | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Life Sciences 1984 | GLYCERIN | • reproductive - Spermatogenesis (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Nephron 1978 | GLYCERIN | • kidney or renal system - Changes in tubules (including acute renal failure, acute tubular (rat LDLo) • kidney or renal system - Other changes in urine composition (rat LDLo) |
| RTECS®- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 1982 | GLYCERIN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Inhibition ( human lym) |
| RTECS®- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 1982 | GLYCERIN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Inhibition ( human lym) |
| RTECS®- Research Communications in Chemical Pathology and Pharmacology 1987 | GLYCERIN | • cardiovascular - Other changes (rat LD50) • brain and nervous system - Toxic psychosis (rat LD50) |
| RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika 1985 | GLYCERIN | • reproductive - Post-implantation mortality (rat TDLo) • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (rat orl) |
| RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika 1985 | GLYCERIN | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Cytogenetic Analysis (rat orl) |
references
| government/industry list/academic study | reference |
| FDA Food Additive Status | FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) 2006. Food Additive Status List. Downloaded from http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/%7Edms/opa-appa.html, Oct 16, 2006. |
| CHE Toxicant and Disease Database | CHE (The Collaborative on Health and the Environment). 2006. Toxicant and Disease Database. |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. |
| Environmental Canada Domestic Substance List | EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
| National Library of Medicine HazMap | NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents. |
| Scorecard.org Toxicity Information | Klaassen, C., M. Amdur and J. Doull (eds.). Casarett and Doull |
| RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2005 | RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2005 |
| RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2006 | RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2006 |
| RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2007 | RTECS®- TLV/BEI,2007 |
| RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J 1986 | RTECS®- "Prehled Prumyslove Toxikologie; Organicke Latky," Marhold, J., Prague, Czechoslovakia, Avicenum, 1986 -,207,1986 |
| RTECS®- "Toxicology of Drugs and Chemicals," Deichmann, W 1969 | RTECS®- "Toxicology of Drugs and Chemicals," Deichmann, W.B., New York, Academic Press, Inc., 1969 -,288,1969 |
| RTECS®- Arzneimittel-Forschung 1976 | RTECS®- Arzneimittel-Forschung. Drug Research. (Editio Cantor Verlag, Postfach 1255, W-7960 Aulendorf, Fed. Rep. Ger.) V.1- 1951- 26,1581,1976 |
| RTECS®- Arzneimittel-Forschung 1978 | RTECS®- Arzneimittel-Forschung. Drug Research. (Editio Cantor Verlag, Postfach 1255, W-7960 Aulendorf, Fed. Rep. Ger.) V.1- 1951- 28,1579,1978 |
| RTECS®- BIOFAX Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories, Inc 1970 | RTECS®- BIOFAX Industrial Bio-Test Laboratories, Inc., Data Sheets. (1810 Frontage Rd., Northbrook, IL 60062) 9-4/1970 |
| RTECS®- Cancer Letters (Shannon, Ireland) 2000 | RTECS®- Cancer Letters (Shannon, Ireland). (Elsevier Scientific Pub. Ireland Ltd., POB 85, Limerick, Ireland) V.1- 1975- 155,61,2000 |
| RTECS®- Cancer Letters (Shannon, Ireland) 2005 | RTECS®- Cancer Letters (Shannon, Ireland). (Elsevier Scientific Pub. Ireland Ltd., POB 85, Limerick, Ireland) V.1- 1975- 229,181,2005 |
| RTECS®- Contraception 1984 | RTECS®- Contraception. (Geron-X, Inc., POB 1108, Los Altos, CA 94022) V.1- 1970- 29,291,1984 |
| RTECS®- Contraception 1989 | RTECS®- Contraception. (Geron-X, Inc., POB 1108, Los Altos, CA 94022) V.1- 1970- 39,447,1989 |
| RTECS®- Delaware State Medical Journal 1959 | RTECS®- Delaware State Medical Journal. (Wilmington, DE) V.1-32(1), 1929-60. For publisher information, see DSMJAA. 31,276,1959 |
| RTECS®- Drugs in Japan (Ethical Drugs) 1982 | RTECS®- Drugs in Japan (Ethical Drugs). (Yakugyo Jiho Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) 6,215,1982 |
| RTECS®- Eksperimental'naya i Klinicheskaya Farmakologiya 1992 | RTECS®- Eksperimental'naya i Klinicheskaya Farmakologiya. Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology. (Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, ul. B. Yakimanka, 39, 117049 Moscow, Russia) V.55- 1992- 55,21,1992 |
| RTECS®- Experimental Lung Research 1987 | RTECS®- Experimental Lung Research. (Hemisphere Publishing, c/o Taylor & Francis 1900 Frost Road, Suite 101, Bristol, PA 19007) V.1- 1980- 12,281,1987 |
| RTECS®- Farmatsevtichnii Zhurnal (Kiev) 1977 | RTECS®- Farmatsevtichnii Zhurnal (Kiev). (V/O Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, 113095 Moscow, USSR) V.3- -1930 (6),56,1977 |
| RTECS®- Federation Proceedings, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology 1945 | RTECS®- Federation Proceedings, Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. (Bethesda, MD) V.1-46, 1942-87. 4,142,1945 |
| RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya 1984 | RTECS®- Gigiena i Sanitariya. For English translation, see HYSAAV. (V/O Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, 113095 Moscow, USSR) V.1- 1936- 49(10),81,1984 |
| RTECS®- Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology 1941 | RTECS®- Journal of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology. (Cambridge, MA) V.18-31, 1936-49. For publisher information, see AEHLAU. 23,259,1941 |
| RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition 1950 | RTECS®- Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association, Scientific Edition. (Washington, DC) V.29-49, 1940-60. For publisher information, see JPMSAE. 39,583,1950 |
| RTECS®- Life Sciences 1984 | RTECS®- Life Sciences. (Pergamon Press Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, NY 10523) V.1-8, 1962-69; V.14- 1974- 34,1747,1984 |
| RTECS®- Nephron 1978 | RTECS®- Nephron. (S. Karger Pub., Inc., 79 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10003) V.1- 1964- 20,47,1978 |
| RTECS®- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 1982 | RTECS®- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. (National Academy of Sciences, Printing & Pub. Office, 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington, DC 20418) V.1- 1915- 79,1171,1982 |
| RTECS®- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 1982 | RTECS®- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. (National Academy of Sciences, Printing & Pub. Office, 2101 Constitution Ave., Washington, DC 20418) V.1- 79,1171,1982 |
| RTECS®- Research Communications in Chemical Pathology and Pharmacology 1987 | RTECS®- Research Communications in Chemical Pathology and Pharmacology. (PJD Pub. Ltd., P.O. Box 966, Westbury, NY 11590) V.1- 1970- 56,125,1987 |
| RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika 1985 | RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika. Cytology and Genetics. For English translation, see CYGEDX. (V/O Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, 113095 Moscow, USSR) V.1- 1967- 19,436,1985 |
| RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika 1985 | RTECS®- Tsitologiya i Genetika. Cytology and Genetics. For English translation, see CYGEDX. (V/O Mezhdunarodnaya Kniga, 113095 Moscow, USSR) V.1- 19,436,1985 |
"RTECS®" is a United States trademark owned and licensed under authority of the U.S. Government, by and through MDL Information Systems, Inc.
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