Solvay Chemicals, Inc. offers three polyglycerols to the North American market:

• Diglycerol (INCI diglycerin)
• Polyglycerol-3 (INCI polyglycerin-3)
• Polyglycerol-4 (INCI polyglycerin-4)

These products are polyols consisting of glycerol molecules bonded by an ether linkage. They are more viscous than glycerol and are soluble in aqueous systems.

Diglycerol  is a clear colorless liquid, very similar to glycerol. It has a higher molecular weight than glycerol and is less volatile. It contains a minimum of 90% Diglycerol. The remainder of the product is mainly a combination of glycerol and triglycerol. Diglycerol can be added to cosmetic formulations where it can stabilize fragrance/flavor microemulsions, moisturize, add gloss to hair, enhance formulation of transparent products, and provide gel formation through crosslinking.

Polyglycerol-3 is a clear yellowish liquid with an average molecular weight of 250. It has a very narrow oligomer distribution and contains a minimum of 85% diglycerol, triglycerol and tetraglycerol, with only a trace of glycerol.

Polyglycerol-4 is very viscous and has a molecular weight equivalent to tetraglycerol.
 
Solvay Polyglycerols have unique properties related to their high purity. Their composition features a high content of linear isomers, low concentration of cyclic oligomers, narrow oligomer distribution with only traces of glycerol, and low batch-to-batch variability.

Ester Production

Solvay polyglycerols can  be converted to fatty acid esters for use in various applications.

• In personal care, they are used as emulsifiers, dispersants, thickeners and solubilizers in a variety of formulations.
• In food, select esters can be used as food additives in baked goods, shortening, salad dressing and others.
• In chocolate, the polyricinoleate derivative can be used as emulsifier and rheology modifier in chocolate products.
• In plastic films, some diglycerol esters may be incorporated as anti-fogging agents in polyolefin films and other films used in agriculture and for packaging.  

The raw materials used for the production of Solvay Polyglycerols are derived exclusively from vegetable origin, and are Kosher and Halal certified. In addition, production is certified to conform with the HACCP requirements by DQS GmbH. The quality management systems of our plants and ancillary corporate activities are registered to the ISO 9001 standard.

Still have questions? Click here to access our Library for more in-depth information about our polyglycerol products.