What Does Glycerin Do for Your Skin?
Glycerin is one of those skincare ingredients that you’re probably already using passively; it’s formulated in almost every type of skincare product and a wealth of cosmetics. However, it tends to get overlooked by its more famous humectant counterpart, hyaluronic acid.
Well, we believe there is always room for more hydrating heroes in your routine – and glycerin skincare is up there with the very best. From strengthening the skin moisture barrier to comforting sensitive skin, there are ample glycerin benefits for skin.
Join us as we investigate what glycerin is used for and how you can leverage this powerful hydrator in your daily skincare ritual.
What is glycerin?
Glycerin is a colourless, odourless sugar molecule naturally produced in the body but widely synthesised for cosmetic use in skincare and makeup. Although it is commercially known in skincare as ‘glycerin’, you might also be familiar with its chemical name, ‘glycerol’.
Glycerin is classified as a humectant, which is a hydrating ingredient that attracts and binds water to the stratum corneum – the outermost layer of the epidermis.
What does glycerin do for skin?
Glycerin skincare takes the form of various products, including moisturisers, toners, cleansers, and serums, to infuse the skin with lasting hydration. As a humectant, glycerin draws water from the surrounding environment and the dermis (your skin’s middle layer) and pulls it to your skin’s outer layer. This helps lock in hydration for longer while reinforcing your skin moisture barrier.
6 glycerin benefits for skin
As an ingredient with immense hydrating prowess, glycerin can support all skin types through periods of dehydration, stress, and impaired skin moisture barrier function. It’s also highly compatible with other ingredients, so it can be seamlessly interwoven in your existing routine or when building one from scratch.
Read on as we unpack six key glycerin benefits for skin below.
1. Provides intense, lasting hydration
As one of the most effective humectants in skincare, glycerin is able to boost skin hydration and improve your skin’s long-term water retention.
Regularly using glycerin skincare can help smooth, plump and soften skin, while enhancing bounce and elasticity. Because of these properties, glycerin is especially beneficial for skin types with naturally fewer lipids – like dry or sensitive skin – but it also helps any skin type experiencing dehydration or moisture loss.
2. Reinforces the skin moisture barrier
Glycerin is commonly described as a “moisture magnet” – but this title doesn’t do its benefits justice. By binding water to the skin moisture barrier, glycerin skincare helps combat transepidermal water loss (TEWL) – which ultimately strengthens your skin’s protective lipid layer. This has a wealth of knock-on effects: it helps the skin replenish its moisture levels, keeps harmful, skin-drying aggressors out, and promotes the skin’s ability to repair itself.
3. Comforts sensitive and compromised skin
We’ve already alluded to the incomparable role of the skin moisture barrier in keeping skin hydrated, but it’s also the key to minimising visible signs of sensitivity like tightness, dryness, and redness. Think of it like this: well-hydrated skin equals resilient skin. Glycerin skincare improves your skin’s resilience, which makes it more capable of defending itself from external stressors that cause discomfort in compromised and sensitive skin.
4. Supports mature skin concerns
As we age, our skin becomes more susceptible to dehydration. Not only does this leave the skin feeling tight and dry, but it can actually emphasise textural concerns (like fine lines and wrinkles), contribute to volume loss, and make skin appear dull.
However, with the help of glycerin skincare, you can promote a brighter, more even skin tone, and plump the skin surface to reduce the depth of your fine lines. Well-hydrated skin is also more elastic, so you can use glycerin alongside other anti-ageing ingredients to support sagging skin.
5. Compatible with all skin types
Glycerin benefits aren’t just reserved for dry and sensitive skin – it’s actually compatible with all skin types. Regardless of skin type, hydration is essential to keep sebum levels in check and maintain the integrity of the skin moisture barrier. Being a lightweight, non-comedogenic ingredient, glycerin is suitable for normal, oily and combination skin types, maintaining hydration without clogging pores and disrupting oil flow.
6. Complements other skincare ingredients
As far as skincare ingredients go, glycerin is one of the most agreeable – which is why it shows up in so many different skincare and cosmetic formulas.
As a humectant, glycerin skincare is a natural fit alongside emollients and occlusives to double down on hydration and skin moisture barrier support. And being such a powerful hydrator that’s suitable for sensitive, compromised skin, it can also reduce discomfort caused by powerful skincare ingredients like retinol and chemical exfoliants.
How to use glycerin on your face: 4-step hydrating routine
Depending on your individual needs and concerns, glycerin skincare can be applied at four key stages of your routine: cleansing, toning, serum application, and moisturising.
Below, we have curated a simplified four-step routine using Kiehl’s most beloved glycerin-infused skincare formulas.
Step 1: Cleanse with the Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser
Formulated specifically for very dry, compromised, or sensitive skin, this cream-to-foam cleanser gently removes debris from the skin without robbing the skin of essential moisture. The formula is infused with glycerin and squalane to help replenish skin hydration and keep the skin soft and supple after cleansing.
Start by lathering the Ultra Facial Barrier-Hydrating Cleanser to a creamy foam texture, then massage over the face using circular motions. Rinse thoroughly and remove any excess with a damp wash cloth. This cleanser is gentle enough for morning and night use.
Step 2: Tone with Ultra Facial Toner
Toner helps remove any leftover impurities on the skin and prepare the skin for product absorption. Modern toner formulas are designed for specific skin concerns, and the Ultra Facial Toner is an alcohol-free, pH-balanced milky toner that purifies the skin of surface debris while maintaining skin comfort and hydration.
After cleansing, moisten a cotton pad with the toner and gently smooth over the skin of your face, avoiding the eye area.
Step 3: Hydrate with the Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate
Serums are concentrated with ingredients to penetrate the skin surface and deliver lasting benefits. The Hydro-Plumping Serum Concentrate, is infused with epidermal hydration filler and 15% glycerin. This powerful blend has a “filling” effect on the skin, penetrating up to 10 surface layers deep* to visibly plump the skin surface, improve bounce, and smooth uneven texture.
This glycerin skincare can be applied to slightly damp skin – this will help optimise absorption and efficacy. Simply dispense one pump of product into your hand and spread evenly over your face and neck.
*Study based on instrumental test within surface layers.
Step 4: Moisturise with Ultra Facial Cream
The final component of your glycerin skincare routine is to lock in the hydrating steps that preceded it – and there’s no moisturiser better suited to the task than Ultra Facial Cream. Lightweight, non-greasy, and suitable for all skin types, tones, and textures, the Ultra Facial Cream helps keep skin supple, balanced and moisturised for up to 24 hours.
A little goes a long way with this moisturiser, so you only need to apply a small amount of product (the equivalent of a five-cent coin) onto your face and neck.
We know that hydration is one of the primary glycerin benefits for skin, so next, find out how to safeguard your skin against dryness in winter.
