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Caprylyl Glycol
Caprylyl GlycolHydrator
A small molecule that conditions skin and also helps preserve the product. It has been reported as a skin allergen.
What it does
It’s often paired with phenoxyethanol and ethylhexylglycerin. Skin-allergy specialists have more recently flagged it as an allergen worth testing for on its own.
The evidence, graded
expert consensusUS safety reviewers judged caprylyl glycol, pentylene glycol and related 1,2-glycols safe at the amounts and in the ways cosmetics use them. Their report says these glycols are mostly used to condition skin and hair and to thicken formulas, and that these two also work as preservatives.Johnson 2012 · International journal of toxicology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Also known as
1,2-octanediol
Pairs worth knowing
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