Pe
PEG-8
PEG-8Hydrator
A water-loving helper that holds moisture in skin, dissolves other ingredients and gives a smooth feel.
What it does
A small polyethylene glycol that mixes easily with water. It holds water at the skin’s surface, dissolves other ingredients, and gives a product a smooth feel.
The EU’s ingredient database lists it as a humectant (helps hold in moisture) and a solvent (dissolves other ingredients).European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗
The evidence, graded
expert consensusUS safety reviewers (2010) judged PEGs, PEG-8 among them, safe as used. They aren’t irritants or allergens on normal skin, and in a study of over 1,500 people with eczema, fewer than 1 in 300 reacted. On burns, where both outer layers of skin are gone, PEGs can get in and may harm the kidneys, so products high in PEGs shouldn’t go there. They asked makers to remove ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane.Cosmetic 2010 · Cosmetic Ingredient Review ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Also known as
polyethylene glycol 400
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