What Is Propylene Glycol BP USP?

If you eat, drink, use cosmetics or take prescription drugs, you will likely have come into contact with propylene glycol. The chemical is used in a wide range of consumer products and industrial applications.

Production

• Propylene glycol forms when the chemical propylene oxide reacts with water. Manufacturers distill and purify this mixture into different grades before storing it and distributing to customers.

Uses

• Numerous consumer products contain propylene glycol. It helps flavor drinks; keeps food moist; emulsifies oils in cosmetic creams; and acts as a solvent for active ingredients in medicines. The chemical will be listed as propylene glycol USP (United States pharmacopoeia) or BP (British pharmacopoeia) in drugs and medicines. Many industrial applications use propylene glycol to make other chemical substances, including the resins in kitchenware, and paint, coatings and plastics.

Considerations

• Propylene glycol has been pronounced safe (apart from in cat food) by the United States Food and Drug Administration, providing it is used in accordance with good manufacturing or feeding practice.