Propylene glycol

About

Propylene glycol, IUPAC name propane-1,2-diol, is a viscous, colourless and almost odourless liquid with a faintly sweet taste and the formula CH3CH(OH)CH2OH; with two alcohol groups it is a diol, and it mixes with water, acetone and chloroform.^[1] The EU list of food additives carries it as E 1520, "Propane-1, 2-diol (propylene glycol)".^[2] The US Food and Drug Administration treats it as generally recognised as safe for certain food uses, and it serves as a vehicle in topical, oral and some intravenous medicines in the US and Europe.^[1] Crest Baking Soda & Peroxide Whitening with Tartar Protection lists it among its inactive ingredients, under UNII 6DC9Q167V3 in the label's structured data.^[3]

Products (2)

Relations

• Not to be confused with Propylene glycol alginate^[1] sourced
  Propylene glycol alginate (E405) is an ester of alginic acid with propylene glycol, a different substance.

Also known as

• Propane-1,2-diol en
• E1520

References

1. ↑ Wikipedia: Propylene glycol Wikipedia. publication. Accessed 2026-09-25. Lead. CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikipedia contributors.
2. ↑ Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II Part B: Union list of food additives legislation.gov.uk. registry. Published 2020-12-31. Accessed 2026-09-25. E 1520 Propane-1, 2-diol (propylene glycol).
3. ↑ DailyMed: Crest Baking Soda and Peroxide Whitening with Tartar Protection (sodium fluoride) paste, dentifrice U.S. National Library of Medicine. registry. Published 2026-01-12. Accessed 2026-09-25. Record: adebbd47-011d-4cd3-a002-1eb67e885e5b. SPL version 12; Drug Facts, principal display panel of the 161 g tube carton, packaging table (NDC 37000-044-02 to -82), labeler The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company. public domain. Upstream: The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company.