Comparing E422 - Glycerol vs E1518 - Glyceryl triacetate
Overview
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Found in 12,762 products
Found in 119 products
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Interest over time for 5 keywords in U.S. during the last 10 years.
Interest over time for 5 keywords in U.S. during the last 10 years.
Popular questions
What is vegetable glycerin?
Vegetable glycerin is glycerol (E422) derived from plant oils (e.g., soybean, palm, coconut); it’s chemically identical to other glycerin and commonly used as a humectant and sweetener.
Is glycerin bad for you?
Generally no—at typical food and cosmetic levels it’s considered safe (FDA GRAS; EFSA found no safety concern at reported uses); large amounts may cause bloating, diarrhea, or thirst.
Is glycerin good for your skin?
Yes—glycerin is a humectant that draws and holds water in the outer skin layers, helping hydration and barrier function; very high, undiluted use can feel sticky or occasionally irritate.
What is glycerin used for?
In foods it works as a humectant, mild sweetener, thickener, and solvent/carrier for flavors and colors to keep products moist and stable; it’s also used in pharmaceuticals and personal care as a moisturizer, solvent, and plasticizer.
What is glycerin made of?
It’s most often produced by hydrolysis, saponification, or transesterification of natural triglycerides from plant or animal fats; it can also be made by microbial fermentation of sugars or synthetically from petrochemical routes.
Why is triacetin bad for you?
It isn’t generally considered bad for you—regulators (e.g., EU as E1518; JECFA/EFSA) regard it as safe at permitted food-use levels and it’s metabolized to glycerol and acetate. Large exposures can cause mild gastrointestinal upset if ingested or irritation on skin/eyes from the neat liquid.
What is triacetin made from?
Triacetin is the triester of glycerol and acetic acid, typically produced by acetylating glycerol with acetic acid or acetic anhydride.
What is triacetin used for?
In foods it serves as a carrier/solvent for flavors, humectant, and emulsifier (and plasticizer in gum base); it’s also used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics as a solvent and plasticizer for capsules and topical formulations.
How to make triacetin?
Industrially it’s made by esterifying glycerol with acetic acid or acetic anhydride in the presence of an acid catalyst, then removing water and purifying (e.g., by distillation) to obtain glycerol triacetate.
How triacetin acts as penetration enhancer?
As a lipophilic solvent/plasticizer, triacetin partitions into stratum corneum lipids, increases their fluidity, and improves drug partitioning and diffusion; it can also raise the solubility of actives at the skin surface.