Glycerin 1 Ltr

01 · WHAT IT DOES IN A FORMULA

It holds water, and everything else follows

Glycerine is a hygroscopic molecule: it captures and retains water molecules. In a cream or a balm that means two things — the water phase does not evaporate as fast, so the product neither dries out in the jar nor while being applied, and on the skin it leaves a film that slows water loss. It also brings viscosity and body without grease, which is precisely what tends to be missing when you formulate with beeswax, butters and oils, all of them oil phase. That is why it turns up in almost any hive-cosmetics recipe.

02 · HOW IT IS HANDLED

Miscible in water, not in oil, and dosed by weight

It belongs to the water phase: it mixes readily with water, hydrosols and alcohol, but it does not mix with oils or with molten wax — joining them takes an emulsifier, stirring is not enough. Dose it by weight, not by eye, because it is dense and one splash too many changes the texture of the whole batch. And what makes it useful makes it delicate in storage: it takes up moisture from the air, so close the container as soon as you finish weighing and keep it dry and out of the light.

03 · BEFORE YOU BUY

It is a raw material, not a finished recipe or a finished cosmetic: dosage, compatibility with the other ingredients, labelling and the safety of the final product depend on your formula and on the cosmetics regulation that applies to you. The specific grade and batch are those on the label of the container you receive; check the specification there before formulating.