POLYPROPYLENE GLYCOL

📋 Quick facts

Description: POLYPROPYLENE GLYCOL — Polypropylene glycol or polypropylene oxide is the polymer of propylene glycol. Chemically it is a polyether, and, more generally speaking, it’s a polyalkylene glycol (PAG) H S Code 3907.2000. The term polypropylene glycol or PPG is reserved for polymer of low- to medium-range molar mass when the nature of the end-group, which is usually a hydroxyl group, still matters. The term “oxide” is used for high-molar-mass polymer when end-groups no longer affect polymer properties. Between 60 and 70% of propylene oxide is converted to polyether polyols by the process called alkoxylation..

Quick Facts:

• Category: other
• Also Known As: Polypropylene Glycol, PPG

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Polypropylene glycol (PPG) is a synthetic polymer used in cosmetics and medicines
• Research shows PPG can penetrate skin cells, so it’s not completely inert
• PPG may be more effective than soap and water at removing certain industrial chemicals from skin
• Safety of PPG as a cosmetic ingredient warrants consideration, according to researchers

📊 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

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Polypropylene glycol is a synthetic polymer—a chain-like molecule made of repeating units—that’s commonly added to cosmetics and pharmaceutical products. Here’s what the research actually tells us:

#1: PPG is not biologically inert. A 2022 study in the Journal of Chromatography A investigated whether different sizes of PPG molecules (PPG425, PPG1K, and PPG2K, where the numbers refer to molecular weight) could enter human cells. The researchers tested this in lab-grown breast cancer cells (McF-7 cells) and found that PPG polymers can actually penetrate into cells, meaning they’re absorbed rather than just sitting on the surface. The authors concluded that “the safety of PPG polymers should be considered when they are used as pharmaceutical or cosmetic excipients”—essentially saying we should think carefully about using them in products that contact skin or are ingested.

#2: PPG may help remove certain chemicals from skin better than traditional washing. A 1999 study published in Toxicological Sciences tested how well different substances could remove a potent industrial chemical (MDI) from monkey skin. Polypropylene glycol removed 68-86% of the chemical in the first hour and maintained 72-86% removal at 8 hours, which was significantly better than soap and water alone (which only removed 29-46% by 8 hours). However, this research was specifically about industrial decontamination, not skincare benefits, and PPG performed similarly to corn oil in this test. The available research is limited in scope and doesn’t provide data on typical skincare uses or long-term safety at cosmetic concentrations.

📄 Related Research

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

• Shi M et al. (2022). Quantitative analysis of polypropylene glycol polymers by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry based on collision induced dissociation technique. J Chromatogr A.
• Wester RC et al. (1999). In vivo skin decontamination of methylene bisphenyl isocyanate (MDI): soap and water ineffective compared to polypropylene glycol, polyglycol-based cleanser, and corn oil. Toxicol Sci.

🧴 Products Containing POLYPROPYLENE GLYCOL

• Gel Gillette