Butylene glycol laurate is an oily chemical compound composed of butylene glycol and lauric acid.

The name describes the structure of the molecule:

• "Butylene": refers to an organic compound called butylene, which consists of a chain of four carbon atoms with double bonds between the second and third carbon atoms.
• "Glycol": refers to glycol, a class of chemical compounds containing two hydroxyl groups (-OH) attached to two carbon atoms. In the specific case, butylene glycol is a type of glycol with the butylene chain attached to the hydroxyl groups.
• "Laurate": derived from lauric acid, which is a naturally occurring fatty acid often found in coconut oil. Lauric acid consists of a chain of twelve carbon atoms and a carboxyl group (-COOH).

Natural synthesis process:

• Lauric acid, a natural fatty acid found in various vegetable oils such as coconut oil, is extracted from its natural source.
• Butylene glycol, an organic compound, can be obtained through the reaction of glycol with 1-butene, followed by a purification phase.

Industrial chemical synthesis process:

• Lauric acid can be synthesized from other sources such as palm oil or sunflower seed oil through processes of hydrogenation and distillation.
• Butylene glycol can be produced on a large scale through the reaction of ethylene oxide with butanol in the presence of a catalyst.

What it is used for and where

Butylene glycol is an oil obtained from an amine-treated catalyst or acetaldehyde dehydrogenation process and its chemical structure is very similar to propylene glycol. It is used as a humectant in tobacco, cellophane, as a solvent in injectables, and is also the most widely used glycol in the formulation of paints. It is a good vitrifying agent and a good solvent that can remove heavy hydrocarbon deposits.

Cosmetics

Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment by restoring, increasing or improving skin tolerance to external factors, including melanocyte tolerance. The most important function of the conditioning agent is to prevent skin dehydration, but the subject is rather complex and involves emollients and humectants.

Skin conditioning agent - Emollient. Emollients have the characteristic of enhancing the skin barrier through a source of exogenous lipids that adhere to the skin, improving barrier properties by filling gaps in intercorneocyte clusters to improve hydration while protecting against inflammation. In practice, they have the ability to create a barrier that prevents transepidermal water loss. Emollients are described as degreasing or refreshing additives that improve the lipid content of the upper layers of the skin by preventing degreasing and drying of the skin. The problem with emollients is that many have a strong lipophilic character and are identified as occlusive ingredients; they are oily and fatty materials that remain on the skin surface and reduce transepidermal water loss. In cosmetics, emollients and moisturisers are often considered synonymous with humectants and occlusives.

Surfactant - Cleansing agent. Cosmetic products used to cleanse the skin utilise the surface-active action that produces a lowering of the surface tension of the stratum corneum, facilitating the removal of dirt and impurities.

Surfactant - Emulsifying agent. Emulsions are thermodynamically unstable and are used to soothe or soften the skin and emulsify, so they need a specific, stabilising ingredient. This ingredient forms a film, lowers the surface tension and makes two immiscible liquids miscible. A very important factor affecting the stability of the emulsion is the amount of the emulsifying agent. Emulsifiers have the property of reducing the oil/water or water/oil interfacial tension, improving the stability of the emulsion and also directly influencing the stability, sensory properties and surface tension of sunscreens by modulating the filmometric performance.