CAPRYLYL GLYCOL

📋 Quick facts

Description: CAPRYLYL GLYCOL — preservative booster, humectant, skin conditioning.

All Functions: preservative booster, humectant, skin conditioning

Quick Facts:

• Category: preservative

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Caprylyl glycol is a preservative ingredient used in skincare formulations
• When tested at realistic use concentrations, it did not trigger delayed allergic skin reactions in a 200-person study
• It is often combined with other preservatives like 1,2-hexanediol in cosmetic products

⚗️ Chemical Overview

Octane-1,2-diol is an octanediol.

Source(s): ChEBI, via PubChem

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

Derived from this ingredient’s irritancy potential and comedogenicity rating against the needs of each skin type — e.g. oily and acne-prone skin are marked down for pore-clogging ingredients, sensitive skin for irritants. A starting heuristic, not a dermatological verdict.

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Caprylyl glycol is a preservative—a type of ingredient designed to keep skincare products from spoiling. In a safety study published in Cutaneous and Ocular Toxicology (2009), researchers wanted to test whether caprylyl glycol could cause delayed Type IV hypersensitivity reactions, which is a kind of allergic skin response that develops over time with repeated exposure. #1: The study tested a mixture containing both 1,2-hexanediol and caprylyl glycol (in equal amounts, totaling 15% of the formula) at the actual concentration used in real cosmetic products, using a repeat insult patch test methodology on 200 subjects. This type of testing involves applying the ingredient to skin repeatedly over time to see if sensitivity develops.

#2: No delayed Type IV hypersensitivity reactions were observed in any of the 200 participants (Cutan Ocul Toxicol, 2009). This suggests the ingredient performed safely under these test conditions. However, the available research is limited—only one study is provided here—so if you have concerns about sensitivity, patch testing on your own skin before full use remains a sensible precaution.

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Levy SB et al. (2009). Safety of a preservative system containing 1,2-hexanediol and caprylyl glycol. Cutan Ocul Toxicol.
• Kreeshan FC et al. (2020). Allergic contact dermatitis to caprylyl glycol: A novel “para-preservative” allergen. Contact Dermatitis.
• Coelho EQ et al. (2019). Contact urticaria following the use of a cosmetic containing caprylyl glycol: A case report. Contact Dermatitis.
• Kanokrungsee S et al. (2025). Caprylyl Glycol, a Trending and Highly Relevant Sensitiser in Cosmetics That Needs to be Patch Tested Separately. Contact Dermatitis.

🧴 Products Containing CAPRYLYL GLYCOL

• Eucerin Sun Allergy Protect
• Nivea Tônico Facial Nivea Controle do Brilho
• nivea protector solar
• Nivea NIVEA Sun Protect & Hydrate SPF30 Zonnebrandspray
• Nivea NIVEA Sun Protect & Hydrate SPF50+ Zonnebrandspray
• Nivea Sun Protect & Moisture, SPF15
• Nivea, Nivea Sun Protect & Bronze 50
• NIVEA kids sensitive protect
• Nivea, Nivea Sun Sensitive Immediate Protect+, SPF30
• Eucerin Oil control
• Nivea Naturally Good Avena Naturale Nutriente
• NIVEA Sun,NIVEA babies & kids sensitive protect 50+
• Nivea sun Crème Protection Solaire Spray FPS 50+ Sensitive
• Nivea, Nivea Sun Kids Sensitive Protect Spray, SPF50
• Kneipp Intensivbalsam 10 urea
• Kneipp Sensitiv Handcreme Mandelöl
• Balea Beauty Effect Tagescreme
• Sun Dance, Sundance Sonnenmilch 30 (hoch)
• douglas seathalasso
• cien cien bb crème
• sanex zero%
• Cien Sun Kids spray solaire
• Cien Cell Intense Cien
• Cien Bronceador bifásico 30
• Cien sensitive SOLLOTION
• Balea, Balea Med, dm Ultra Sensitive Shampoo
• Balea, Balea Med, dm Ultra Sensitive Waschlotion
• Sun Dance, Sundance Sonnenfluid sensitiv LSF 50+
• Sun Dance, Sundance sun dance 50+ Sonnenmilch
• Sundance,dm Sundance Kids 50 Sonnenmilch
• Sundance Sonnenfluid matt LSF 30
• balea ultra sensitive after shave balsam
• Sun Ozon Sunclean Sonnenmilch LSF 30
• unilever, dove DOVE Crème Hydratante Corps Soie Pot 300ml
• BRYNILD GRUPPEN AS Nivea Roll-On Magnesium 50ml
• Nivea Naturally Good
• Nivea sun Protection Solaire Visage UV FPS30 Hydratante
• V.Sun Catch the sun
• Rossmann Sun ozon kids
• Nivea Loción Tónico Facial Matificante