DE - Diethylene Glycol Monoethyl Ether

About This Product

Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, DE, DEGEE or carbitol, has the formula C6H14O3 and CAS number 111-90-0. It is a clear colourless liquid of low volatility and mild odour, fully miscible with water and with most organic solvents, and carries the INCI name Ethoxydiglycol. It has two quite separate commercial lives. As an industrial solvent it is a high-boiling coupler, used where a formulation must remain wet and must hold together oil-soluble and water-soluble components over time rather than during a brief flash-off. As a cosmetic ingredient it is valued for a different property: it is an effective solubiliser for actives that are poorly soluble in both water and oil, and it increases the rate at which those actives cross the stratum corneum, which is why it appears in self-tanning products, acne treatments, hair colourants and anti-ageing serums. That penetration-enhancing effect is deliberate and useful but means it should be assessed rather than assumed neutral when other actives are present. It is not subject to the reproductive toxicity restrictions applied to the short-chain ethylene ethers. It is used in cosmetics and personal care, brake and hydraulic fluids, coatings and inks, textile processing and cleaning formulations. Bio Green Chem supplies DE in industrial and cosmetic grades to specification on assay, water, acidity, colour, peroxide and residue.