Glycerin: Where It Works in Our Formulas

We use glycerin in five formulas: our Vitamin C face serum, our Rose Face Wash Cream, our hand and body creams and our hand sanitizer gel. In each one it does the same basic job, drawing water into the outer layer of skin and helping it stay there, but it plays a slightly different part depending on what the product is for. Here is where you will find it, why it is there, and why it is missing from our face oils.

What glycerin brings to a formula

Glycerin is a clear, slightly sweet liquid with a short carbon backbone and three hydroxyl groups, which act like small magnets for water. It is hygroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture from its surroundings, and it is already part of the skin's own natural moisturizing factor. That familiarity is one reason it suits nearly every skin type and rarely causes irritation.

For a formulator, glycerin is useful in two ways. On skin, it hydrates. In the bottle, it gives creams and gels a smoother slip and helps water-based ingredients spread evenly. It is also generous: a modest amount makes a noticeable difference, and it sits comfortably alongside nearly any other ingredient.

In a face serum

Our Vitamin C Collagen Boosting Face Serum with Niacinamide looks like water and sinks in without stickiness. Its two lead ingredients are ethyl ascorbic acid, a stabilized form of vitamin C, to help skin look brighter and more even, and niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3, to help tone look balanced and texture refined.

Glycerin is part of the hydrating layer around them, with sodium hyaluronate, aloe and cucumber. Bright, even-looking skin starts with skin that is comfortable and well hydrated, and a serum that dries skin out is one people stop using. Glycerin helps keep this one light, fresh and easy to wear every day. It suits normal, combination and sensitive skin.

In a face wash

The Rose Face Wash Cream starts with a base from our own soapmaking, softened with glycerin and sorbitol. Here glycerin's job is to protect comfort during cleansing: the wash lifts away the day, and the glycerin helps skin keep its softness as it rinses. Rosehip seed oil, shea butter, finely milled oat, calendula and Kalahari melon seed oil complete the formula.

In a hand cream

Hands need moisture that works fast and does not leave a film on everything you touch next. In our Hydrating Hand Cream, aloe leaf juice and glycerin add a cool layer of hydration, and Kalahari melon seed oil, a light oil rich in linoleic acid, helps skin hold it. Coconut, sunflower, jojoba, avocado, argan and borage oils cushion dry skin, and a touch of vitamin E rounds out the blend. The texture opens light and silky and settles into a soft-touch finish with no grease left behind.

In a body cream

Our Rejuvenating Body Cream is richer and denser, made for elbows, shins and heels as much as for everyday softness. The same pairing of aloe leaf juice and glycerin gives it a fresh, watery layer of hydration, while the oils give it a slow, velvety glide. The glycerin is why the cream feels hydrating rather than merely rich: it pulls water into the skin, and the oils keep it from escaping.

In a hand sanitizer

Alcohol dries quickly and can leave hands feeling tight. Our Hydrating Hand Sanitizer Gel includes aloe leaf juice and glycerin to help skin hold moisture, so hands feel softer once it has dried. It comes in a 2 fl oz travel size and in a gallon for refilling.

Why our face oils have none

Glycerin loves water and does not dissolve in oil, so it has no place in a formula made only of oils. Our Royal Kalahari Face Serum is a blend of botanical oils led by Kalahari melon seed oil, and our single-ingredient face oils, such as Marula, Plum and Squalane, are 100% pure with nothing else in the bottle.

The two kinds of product work well together. Press in the Vitamin C serum first, so its glycerin can draw water into the skin, then follow with a face oil to seal that water in. The same logic applies on the body: smooth on the body cream while skin is still damp from the shower.

Every ingredient we use, with the products it appears in, is listed in our Ingredient Library.

Questions about glycerin in our products

Which Marianella products contain glycerin?

The Vitamin C Collagen Boosting Face Serum with Niacinamide, the Rose Face Wash Cream, the Hydrating Hand Cream, the Rejuvenating Body Cream and the Hydrating Hand Sanitizer Gel.

Is there glycerin in the Royal Kalahari Face Serum?

No. It is a blend of botanical oils with vitamins C and E, and glycerin does not mix into oil. Pair it with a glycerin serum underneath if you want both.

Why does a hand cream need glycerin when it already has oils?

Oils soften and seal, but they do not add water. Glycerin draws water into the skin, and the oils hold it there, so hands feel hydrated rather than just coated.