Butylene Glycol
Part of our Ingredient Glossary — educational information about raw materials we may use in our products. We don't sell raw ingredients.
Butylene glycol is one of those ingredients that works behind the scenes, making everything else in your skincare routine perform better. It's a humectant, meaning it grabs moisture from the air and pulls it into your skin, but unlike its more famous cousin glycerin, it does this without leaving you feeling sticky or tacky.
This clear, odorless liquid derived renewable plant sources, and it's been a staple in cosmetic formulations for decades. What makes it particularly useful is its smaller molecular size compared to other humectants, which means it can penetrate deeper into the skin layers rather than just sitting on the surface.
Beyond moisture-binding, butylene glycol acts as what formulators call a penetration enhancer. It helps other beneficial ingredients in your products absorb more effectively, making your serums more serum-y and your treatments more effective. It also improves the texture of formulas, giving them that smooth, silky feel that makes application a pleasure rather than a chore.
We use butylene glycol in formulations where we want serious hydration without weight, and where we need other active ingredients to work at their full potential. It's particularly valuable in our lighter moisturizers and serums, where every ingredient needs to earn its place by doing multiple jobs beautifully.
