Will Propylene Glycol in My Cosmetics Cause Cancer?
Posted Feb 17 2010 10:01pm
Kelly asks…I have a question for you. I am considering trying a product by a company called Riversol. I can’t help but notice their ingredients aren’t too exciting. I know there are a lot of concerns around Propylene Glycol and it’s link to cancer and concerns that is the similar to anti-freeze. I know conventional thinking believes that when used in very small amounts in cosmetics it is fine to use. But what if it is the third ingredient? If you are curious, the two ingredients before it are water and mineral oil (followed by petroleum, Cetearyl Alcohol, polysorbate 50 and Beta- thujaplicin (an anti-oxidant derived from cedar trees). What are your thoughts on this ingredient so high up on the ingredient list. It sure seems hydrating (and potentially pore clogging) based on my junior detective work.
Left Brain enlightens:
While there are a lot of Internet concerns about Propylene Glycol, scientists and toxicologists do not have any concerns. There is no evidence linking propylene glycol to cancer. In fact, propylene glycol is so safe it is a GRAS material (generally recognized as safe). You can see more about the actual evidence of propylene glycol here.
The problem with doing detective work on the Internet is that anybody can write anything and any topic. If you do not know a subject well enough you can easily be fooled or mislead. Many “natural” companies rely on fear and misinformation to make you avoid buying perfectly safe products put out by their competitors. It’s really unfortunate but fear is a compelling way to get you to buy a product.
If you are going to research things on the Internet you should remain skeptical of anything you read, and be sure to get all sides of an argument. When you see a claim like “propylene glycol causes cancer” investigate it further. Look for people who make the counter claim. Read their arguments for why it is not true.
Always remember that there are people in the world who are trying to trick you. Usually, these people are trying to sell you something (like a product free from propylene glycol). But there are also people who are smarter than you on any given topic. The research you do on the Internet should not be seen as equivalent to the real work of scientists and professional researchers.
In our opinion, when in doubt trust the majority of scientific opinion. The majority of scientific opinion on Propylene Glycol is that it is a safe ingredient and will have no harmful effects when used in cosmetic products. We’ve seen no compelling evidence to dispute that view.
Kelly asks…I have a question for you. I am considering trying a product by a company called Riversol. I can’t help but notice their ingredients aren’t too exciting. I know there are a lot of concerns around Propylene Glycol and it’s link to cancer and concerns that is the similar to anti-freeze. I know conventional thinking believes that when used in very small amounts in cosmetics it is fine to use. But what if it is the third ingredient? If you are curious, the two ingredients before it are water and mineral oil (followed by petroleum, Cetearyl Alcohol, polysorbate 50 and Beta- thujaplicin (an anti-oxidant derived from cedar trees). What are your thoughts on this ingredient so high up on the ingredient list. It sure seems hydrating (and potentially pore clogging) based on my junior detective work.
Left Brain enlightens:
While there are a lot of Internet concerns about Propylene Glycol, scientists and toxicologists do not have any concerns. There is no evidence linking propylene glycol to cancer. In fact, propylene glycol is so safe it is a GRAS material (generally recognized as safe). You can see more about the actual evidence of propylene glycol here.
The problem with doing detective work on the Internet is that anybody can write anything and any topic. If you do not know a subject well enough you can easily be fooled or mislead. Many “natural” companies rely on fear and misinformation to make you avoid buying perfectly safe products put out by their competitors. It’s really unfortunate but fear is a compelling way to get you to buy a product.
If you are going to research things on the Internet you should remain skeptical of anything you read, and be sure to get all sides of an argument. When you see a claim like “propylene glycol causes cancer” investigate it further. Look for people who make the counter claim. Read their arguments for why it is not true.
Always remember that there are people in the world who are trying to trick you. Usually, these people are trying to sell you something (like a product free from propylene glycol). But there are also people who are smarter than you on any given topic. The research you do on the Internet should not be seen as equivalent to the real work of scientists and professional researchers.
In our opinion, when in doubt trust the majority of scientific opinion. The majority of scientific opinion on Propylene Glycol is that it is a safe ingredient and will have no harmful effects when used in cosmetic products. We’ve seen no compelling evidence to dispute that view.