skincarecheck
INCI ingredient

2-hexanediol

Also listed as: 1,2-hexanediol, 2-hexanédiol

A small glycol used as a solvent and to support preservation.

What it triggers

  • Vegan originYesno animal source
  • FragranceNonot a perfume ingredient
  • ParabenNonot a preservative of this family
  • SulfateNonot a sulfate surfactant
  • SiliconeNonot a silicone
  • AlcoholNonot a drying alcohol

What it does

2-hexanediol dissolves extracts and fragrance, adds a little humectancy and makes a water-based product less hospitable to microbes, so brands can use lighter preservative systems. It is common in Korean and Japanese skin care. CosIng lists it as solvent and skin conditioning.

It is synthetic and affects none of the six checks; the alcohol-free check ignores glycols.

Functions: solvent, skin conditioning

Products with 2-hexanediol

in 432 products

Showing 24 of 432 products with this ingredient, most scanned first.

In the EU ingredient database

Functions listed by CosIng
  • skin conditioning
  • solvent
  • skin conditioning: Maintaining the skin in good condition.
  • solvent: Dissolving other components of cosmetics. Solvents are usually liquids (aqueous and nonaqueous).

CAS 6920-22-5 · EC 230-029-6

EU regulation

Not on a restricted-substances annex. Listed as an allowed cosmetic ingredient.

Source: CosIng, European Commission. Informative, no legal value; the regulation text is the reference.

Classification from the INCI name; product lists from Open Beauty Facts.Report a mistake