5 Reasons to Use Glycerin for Your Skin & How to Get Started

By: Margaux Reese
July 23, 2024

With a worldwide supply of different types of skincare products, you may be surprised by how often you find glycerin listed in the ingredients. But behind water and fragrances, glycerin is one of the most commonly used ingredients in skincare formulas due to its extraordinary benefits and moisturizing properties.

Sounds like a must-have in your skincare routine, right? Before jumping into the deep end, learn more about what to look for when it comes to choosing products with glycerin.

Not all glycerin products are created equal, but there are great options out there. In this guide, we’ll give you tips and product recommendations for incorporating glycerin into your skincare routine so you can enjoy the benefits it has to offer.

What Is Glycerin?

Glycerin definition

Let’s start with the basics. Glycerin, also known as glycerol, is a colorless or pale yellow, odorless, nontoxic, sweet-tasting liquid that is a type of carbohydrate called a sugar alcohol or polyol.

Glycerin occurs naturally in plants, fermented foods, and beverages and can be produced commercially from fats and oils, yeast, sugar, starch fermentation, and the alcoholic fermentation of sugars.

Glycerin can widely be found being used as a sweetening agent, solvent, pharmaceutical agent, or emollient as glycerin is considered highly effective for absorbing water.

Benefits of Glycerin for Skin

Is glycerin good for your skin? Yes. That’s why it’s used in so many skincare essentials.

So, what are glycerin benefits you should know? We’ve outlined some of the key benefits below.

Benefits of glycerin for your skin

Hydration and Moisture Retention

When it comes to helping keep your skin hydrated, some of the best face moisturizers contain glycerin because it is considered a humectant, which means it draws moisture from the air and retains it within the skin. Giving the skin increased hydration, relieving dryness, and a smoother, healthier look with a dewy glow.

Improvement of Skin Barrier Function

Glycerin plays an important role in the protection, improvement, and enhancement of skin barrier function. Products that contain glycerin for skin can help create a protective layer that shields your skin from pollutants and irritants, dust and dirt, and other environmental aggressors.

Anti-Aging Properties

Products that contain glycerin for face are often labeled as anti-aging and can help reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and are designed to rejuvenate your skin by slowing down the signs of aging.

Healing Properties

Glycerin has the ability to help speed up healing wounds and soothe irritated skin by keeping oily and acne-prone skin hydrated.

Thanks to the antimicrobial properties contained in glycerin, it can help kill bacteria that causes breakouts while also helping to heal and fade the appearance of acne scars. Altogether, it helps improve the texture and appearance of your skin.

Woman looking at skin in the mirror.

Relief for Dry Skin

As glycerin draws moisture from the air into the skin, it can benefit those who suffer from dry, flaky skin, and conditions like psoriasis as it works to soften the skin and relieve dead skin cells that are piling up.

For those who suffer from seasonal dry skin, glycerin for your skin in the winter can help relieve dryness and prevent water loss when the low humidity and cold air quickly evaporate the skin's moisture.

How to Use Glycerin for Your Face

When it comes to using glycerin for your face, there are multiple ways to incorporate it into your skincare routine. Glycerin is diverse and can be found in many skincare products, ranging from mineral makeup to sunscreens.

5 Ways to add glycerin to your skincare routine

Here are some of the best ways you can use glycerin in your face skincare regimen:

Sunscreen

By choosing to wear sunscreen everyday, you gain the most protection and longevity in healthy, youthful looking skin. Yet with so many options out there, it can be intimidating finding the right product for you.

Thankfully, Colorescience sunscreens only use pure mineral ingredients to sit on top of the skin and create a physical barrier to ensure non-irritating, broad-spectrum protection.

Sunforgettable® Total Protection® Brush-On Shield SPF 50 is a weightless, all-mineral powder sunscreen designed with a convenient, on-the-go application brush made up of antimicrobial bristles. The hypoallergenic, chemical-free formula absorbs excess oil from your skin, mattifies it, and minimizes the appearance of pores, leaving your skin feeling refreshed, hydrated, and clean.

It’s available in four natural-looking shades. There’s also a sheer SPF 30 option.

Sunforgettable® Total Protection® Body Shield Classic SPF 50’s oil-free, hypoallergenic and non-comedogenic formula delivers lightweight, invisible coverage in a universal shade that works on all skin types and tones to provide protection from environmental aggressors and harmful UV rays from the sun.

Skincare

Finding the right treatments to incorporate into your skincare routine, such as the right sunscreen or an effective cleanser, can mean the difference between breakouts and irritation vs. healthy, vibrant skin.

These essentials can help you keep your skin looking and feeling it’s best:

The All Calm® Sensitive Skin Regimen is designed to help soothe sensitive, easily irritated skin. It actively works to hydrate, smooth skin texture, support the skin's barrier health, and provide ongoing and immediate color correction and relief of redness.

The All Calm® Multi-Correction Serum calms and cools upon application while improving moisture retention and hydration to help support skin barrier health.

All Calm® Clinical Redness Corrector SPF 50 3-in-1 formula works to instantly neutralize the appearance of redness while providing SPF 50 protection and helping soothe ongoing sensitivity and calm sensitive skin and redness.

Pep Up® Collagen Boost Face & Neck Serum goes beyond nourishing hydration to build collagen from the inside out, day and night. The weightless formula has been clinically-proven to enhance skin tone and texture, diminish the appearance of wrinkles and lines, and provide a healthy, rejuvenated look in as little as 4 weeks.

The Total Eye® Concentrate Serum’s cooling rollerball applicator gently massages as it immediately depuffs eyes as the soothing, daytime/nighttime formula’s powerful anti-aging ingredients work to revitalize the skin under your eyes.

The collection is rounded out with Sunforgettable® Total Protection® Brush-On Shield SPF 50, along with:

Skincare-Makeup Hybrids

Skincare-makeup hybrids are designed to streamline your daily skincare routine by providing a makeup solution with the added benefit of improving your skin health. Substituting in a makeup hybrid with glycerin in it (among other essential skincare ingredients) can not only save on time and money, but works to help you achieve your skincare goals.

Formulated with antioxidants and soothing botanical extracts, the Colorescience Calming Primer SPF 20 soothes, hydrates, and nourishes skin and helps balance redness, all while extending the length of makeup wear.

Our primer is also available in brightening, mattifying, and bronzing options.

For those with dry, easily irritated, and sensitive skin, Total Protection® No-Show™ Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 is a sensitive-skin-friendly choice for untinted sun protection. The nourishing antioxidants, hydrating silver ear mushroom extract, and soothing bisabolol work to improve your complexion with every use.

Tint Du Soleil™ Whipped Mineral Foundation SPF 30 delivers SPF 30 defense to help protect skin from the sun and environmental stressors that can cause premature aging. It provides light coverage that blurs imperfections, evens skin tone, and leaves skin feeling silky.

In addition to aesthetic benefits, it also works to replenish the skin with milk lipids and ceramides to provide comforting hydration, while collagen-building peptides and a multivitamin complex help to improve skin health.

Woman applying makeup with a foundation brush.

Natural Finish Mineral Foundation SPF 20 is a lightweight, hydrating foundation, and protective formula that encourages a smoother, radiant complexion.

Mineral Corrector Palette SPF 20 is a complete color palette of five shades to neutralize red, blue, and yellow tones. It also provides long-lasting, natural-looking coverage that protects against harmful rays from the sun and environmental pollutants.

Beauty On The Go Palette features a collection of five shades of rosy pinks and warm browns that flatter all skin tones. The perfect palette for on the go as it works to enhance eyes, face, cheeks, and lips and even color correct spots on your face.

Are There Any Potential Side Effects?

While there aren’t many reported side effects, as with any treatment, there’s potential for an allergic reaction. Additionally, in certain conditions, glycerin could potentially dehydrate skin and cause irritations.

Note that undiluted glycerin (or glycerin that hasn’t been diluted enough) could cause blistering. That’s why glycerin in skincare is usually diluted for safe use.

Precautions to Take

When it comes to your skincare routine and incorporating glycerin for your face and skin, it’s important to take precautions and remember your face tends to be more delicate and sensitive than skin on other areas of your body.

To avoid dehydration or blistering caused by using glycerin in too high of a concentration. Therefore it’s safer to use a reputable brand and product containing a safe amount of glycerin rather than diluting the pure form at home.

Like with any new skincare product you’re adding to your routine, especially one that contains glycerin, it’s important to start off small. After the product has been applied to your skin, if you notice any signs of an allergic reaction, such as itchiness or redness, stop using it immediately and talk to your doctor or dermatologist.

Introduce Glycerin to Your Skincare Routine

As you can see, there are many reasons to use skincare with glycerin. From sunscreen to skincare-makeup hybrids, it’s easy to add it to your routine and experiment with what works best for you. Try our skincare treatments and mineral sunscreen solutions today to see how glycerin can benefit your skin.