Butylene Glycol is a colorless man-made nutrient which is used in a lot of cosmetics to thin out the product for easy application, keep the product moisturized so it won’t dry out, or keeps it from spoiling. There are several different variations of Butylene that we should pay attention to in cosmetics:
- 1,2-butanediol – This is mainly used for products to penetrate the skin better and is not toxic if used mildly.
- 1,3-butanediol – This is the most common out of all the variants and is used to moisturize the skin, make the product more easily applied, and keeps the product from drying out so making the product last longer. Again this is safe as long as you don’t apply a substantial amount to your skin.
- 1,4-butanediol – This is used mainly for eye creams rather than 1,3-butanediol. It is easier on the eyes.
This compound is said to be rather safe, but those who have hyper sensitive skin should be aware of this as it could potentially irritate your skin. Also be aware of the number of products that have this compound in them and see if you can reduce it to prevent being irritated, but since so many products have this compound in them it may be a little bit more difficult to find.