What is Glycerin, and What Does it Do for Skin?
If you’ve ever studied the ingredients list on your daily face serum or your favourite foundation, you’ve likely encountered one particular ingredient again and again: glycerin.
But what is glycerin used for?
Glycerin is a powerful skin hydrator, though it tends to be overlooked in favour of a more renowned ingredient – hyaluronic acid. With a capacity to boost moisture levels and support youthful-looking, glowing skin, there is no shortage of glycerin benefits for the skin.
Below, we’re unveiling how glycerin can support dehydrated skin and help you attain that elusive glowy, bouncy complexion you’ve been longing for.
What is glycerin?
Glycerin is an odourless, colourless sugar molecule known for its hydrating abilities. It’s also a naturally occurring compound that your body already produces, which makes it highly compatible with all skin types. Glycerin is often formulated in a range of skincare and makeup products to support hydration and keep the skin balanced.
Glycerin belongs to a class of hydrating ingredients known as ‘humectants’. Humectants act as moisturising agents for the skin, and they work by attracting water from external sources – including the surrounding air and the dermis (the middle layer of your skin).
Once a humectant extracts a moisture source, it binds it to the epidermis (the outermost layer of your skin). This helps support the skin’s surface with lasting hydration, leaving it feeling softer, more supple, and more comfortable throughout the day.
6 glycerin benefits for skin
From boosting skin hydration to helping smooth the appearance of mature skin, read on as we delve into six key glycerin benefits for skin.
1. Provides lasting hydration
In an ideal world, your skin would stay nourished at all times. However, there is a wealth of factors that can disrupt hydration levels, including potent skincare ingredients, low water intake, fatigue, and exposure to pollution and UV rays.
What’s more, some skin types are also more prone to dryness than others – and, even for those that aren’t, it can still be difficult to keep skin hydrated in winter. Thankfully, glycerin skincare acts as a moisture magnet, imparting lasting hydration to the skin – all year long.
2. Supports the skin moisture barrier
Glycerin plays an important role in strengthening the skin moisture barrier – your skin’s protective lipid layer that controls moisture retention and keeps out harmful stressors.
When the skin moisture barrier is compromised, it weakens your skin’s defences against these external aggressors, which can lead to water loss in the skin and sensitisation. Glycerin skincare, then, works by counteracting water loss in the skin and binding moisture to the skin surface.
3. Improves skin elasticity
Skin dehydration is a common concern in dry and sensitive skin types, but it also becomes more common as we age, where the skin struggles to supplement moisture loss.
When your skin is dehydrated, it loses some of its natural elasticity and bounce, which can make the appearance of sagging skin more pronounced. One of the notable benefits of glycerin for skin is its ability to plump and rehydrate the skin surface, improving its resilience.
4. Smooths the appearance of fine lines
A lack of hydration doesn’t just draw attention to sagging skin – it can also emphasise the appearance of other ageing concerns, such as fine lines and wrinkles. By boosting moisture levels, glycerin skincare can help diminish the depth of fine lines, resulting in smoother, more even skin texture. If you’re in the early stages of building an anti-ageing skincare routine, be sure to include glycerin-infused products in your skincare lineup.
5. Mitigates skin sensitivity
Sensitive skin is especially prone to water loss, which is exacerbated by exposure to common triggers like soaps, detergents, fragrances, and astringent products.
If you’ve found that your skin is experiencing more significant signs of discomfort – such as redness, tightness, dryness, and tingling sensations – glycerin skincare can help diminish existing discomfort.
6. Compatible with all skin types
Whether your skin is dry, sensitive, oily, or combination, all skin types benefit from the right hydration. Crucially, glycerin skincare is gentle enough for dry and sensitive skin; and is able to keep combination and oily skin balanced, too. Glycerin is also a non-comedogenic ingredient, meaning it won’t clog pores while it imparts lasting hydration.
How to use glycerin on your face
Given how prominently glycerin features in skincare and cosmetics, it’s possible that you’re already using this hydrating hero to some extent. However, you can certainly be more intentional with your glycerin usage. Find out how to use glycerin on your face below.
- Use at each stage of your skincare for extra hydration: Depending on your hydration needs, glycerin can be used at any stage of your skincare routine – as a facial cleanser, toner, serums and oils, or moisturiser – to prepare your skin for makeup.
- Apply glycerin-infused serums to damp skin: If you’re applying your glycerin skincare as a serum, be sure to apply to damp skin. This will help improve the efficacy of your serum, allowing glycerin to draw moisture from the water on your skin rather than deeper skin layers.
- Seek out makeup formulas with glycerin: Hydration isn’t solely for your skincare routine – it’s something to consider in your makeup formulas as well. For your priming needs, we suggest a glycerin-infused makeup primer like our Luminous Silk Hydrating Primer. For your concealer, opt for the Luminous Silk Lightweight Liquid Concealer, which harnesses glycerin to keep the skin comfortable and hydrated without compromising on coverage.
Glycerin skincare can help support skin hydration, but there are other ingredients you can introduce to your routine to improve the look and feel of skin – like niacinamide. Next, discover niacinamide benefits for skin.
