Common Uses For Glycerin

Glycerin is a chemical compound that is also known as glycerol. It is a neutral, sweet tasting, colorless, thick liquid that can be freezed to a thick paste, and has a high boiling point as well. It can easily dissolve in water or alcohol but not in oils. But, there are many substances which will dissolve into glycerin than they will dissolve into water or alcohol. So, it can be said that glycerin is a good solvent.

A very interesting property of glycerin is that it is very highly hygroscopic, which means that it absorbs water froms the air. For example, if you leave a bottle of glycerin exposed to air, it would eventually become 80% glycerin and 20% water. Glycerol or glycerin is one of the most widely used ingredients in drugs and pharmaceuticals. Apart from drugs, there are other uses of glycerin as well. Read on to find out the most common uses of glycerin

Drugs - Glycerin is widely used to manufacture the following drugs.

Capsules
Suppositories
Ear infection remedies
Anesthetics
Cough remedies
Lozenges
Gargles

Foods and Beverages - Glycerin is used to moisten, sweeten or preserve the following food and drinks:

Soft drinks
Candies
Cakes
Meat and cheese
Dry food

Cosmetics and Toiletries - Because of the non-toxic nature of glycerin, it is used in cosmetics and toiletries. It is used in the following products:

Toothpaste
Skin creams and lotions
Pre-shaving lotions
Deodorants
Make up
Lipstick
Mascara

Tobacco - Glycerin is also used in tobacco to prevent the breaking and crumbling during the processing of cigarettes, etc. It also adds some kind of flavor to the chewing tobacco. It is widely used to manufacture cigarette filter tips as well.

Paper and Printing - It is used to soften and reduce the shrinkage during paper manufacturing. It is used in the following:

Grease proof paper
Food wrappers
Printing ink

Textiles - Glycerin is used in textiles to soften the yarn and to lubricate fibres of different kinds. In the textile industry, glycerin is generally used for the following purposes:

As a lubricant for food processing
To manufacture resin coating
To add flexibility to rubber and plastic
As a building block in manufacturing flexible foams
To manufacture dynamite
To create component that is used in radios and neon lights

With such a diverse usage, we can easily conclude that glycerin is a highly versatile product that is used in various industries today.

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