You’ve heard of ozone oil, which is an oil infused with ozone. Did you know that other cosmetic liquids like glycerol could be ozonated, each uniquely delivering some of ozone’s oxidative benefits?
Unlike many other substances, glycerol is completely natural and water-soluble. Cells can readily absorb glycerol and use it as fuel, which might make it an even better delivery system for ozone’s oxidative effects. In this article, we’ll cover what we know so far about ozonated glycerin and what it’s used for.
This article is part of our Ozonated Glycerin (Glyzine™) collection — a full resource on what ozonated glycerin is, how it’s made, and how to use it.
What is ozonated glycerin?
Ozonated glycerin is a unique fluid created when ozone gas is infused into glycerin, resulting in a product with distinct chemical and functional properties.
What is Glycerin?
Glycerin, also known as glycerol or glycerine, is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol compound. Most dietary fats are triglycerides, which are composed of a molecule of glycerin bound to three fatty acids. Chemical reactions like fat digestion or soap making can break the glycerin from the fatty acids, producing a clear, odorless, and viscous liquid with a mildly sweet taste. Chemically, glycerin is composed of three hydroxyl (OH) groups, making it highly water loving (hydrophilic) and an effective humectant—meaning it attracts and retains moisture.
In skincare and wellness applications, glycerin is widely valued for its ability to hydrate and protect the skin by forming a barrier that locks in moisture. Its compatibility with human tissues makes it a versatile base for many products.
How Does Ozone Infusion Transform Glycerin?
Ozone (O₃) is a highly oxidizing and unstable gas made up of three oxygen atoms. When an ozone-oxygen gas mix is bubbled into glycerin, some of the gas dissolves in the glycerin, while the rest chemically reacts with the glycerin. Unlike ozonated oils — where ozone reacts with carbon-carbon double bonds via Criegee ozonolysis to form classical ozonides — glycerin has no C=C bonds. Instead, ozone oxidizes the hydroxyl (OH) groups of glycerol, producing short-chain organic acids (primarily glyceric acid and glycolic acid) and a stable cyclic peroxide structure, characterized as a 1,2,4-trioxepane [1][2].
This is a chemically distinct product class from ozonated oils. The active chemistry in ozonated glycerin is not trapped molecular ozone — it is stable, covalently bound peroxide species that release oxidative equivalents gradually on contact.
These transformations stabilize the reactive properties of ozone, allowing ozonated glycerin to retain its oxidative potential over a much longer period compared to ozone gas or water. Published data (Sabbah & Martínez-Sánchez, 2026) indicates a shelf life of at least 90 days at room temperature, with significantly longer stability under refrigeration or freezing.
Why is Ozonated Glycerin Useful for Certain Applications?
- Humectant Properties: Glycerin draws moisture to the skin and helps maintain hydration. When ozonated, it retains this ability while introducing the benefits of stabilized ozone [3].
- Cellular Compatibility: Glycerin is a natural molecule that human cells readily recognize and absorb, facilitating efficient delivery of oxidized species to the skin surface. Its water-solubility helps ozonized glycerin absorb cleanly into the outer layers of skin.
- Prolonged Activity: The slow release of ozone metabolites ensures extended activity compared to gaseous ozone, which must be applied immediately after production.
What is ozonated glycerin good for?
Skin wellness
Topical ozonated glycerin may have benefits on the appearance of skin over time, as it can penetrate and deliver hormetic oxidative effects. In one small published study involving 50 Japanese women aged 40–60, regular application of 80 ppm ozonated glycerin significantly improved the appearance of age spots after 8 weeks [4]. As a humectant, it also supports skin hydration and a smooth, even texture.
Water-soluble oxidant delivery
Ozonated glycerin’s most practically significant property may be its water solubility. Unlike ozonated oils, which are hydrophobic and remain on the surface of aqueous environments, ozonated glycerin is fully miscible with water.
The active species are stable in solution and deliver a controlled oxidative signal on contact. The magnitude of that signal is concentration-dependent and is concentration-dependent and can be adjusted by dilution.
Glycerin itself is already used as a widely used, GRAS-listed ingredient and is GRAS-listed. Its established safety profile, combined with the water-solubility of the ozonated product, makes ozonated glycerin a format that can be incorporated into preparations where a water-compatible oxidant with a defined shelf life is useful. The absence of carrier oils also eliminates concerns about lipid oxidation byproducts or interference with aqueous-phase chemistry.
For applications requiring sustained oxidant presence, the slow-release aspect of the ozonated glycerin may offer advantages over formats that deliver oxidants all at once. Total oxidant content is measurable by standard iodometric titration, which provides a practical method for quantifying activity in a preparation.
Why buy pure Glyzine?
Whether you ozonate glycerin yourself or purchase ozonated glycerin like Glyzine, purity is essential to ensure both safety and effectiveness. It’s very important that the glycerin is pure food-grade or laboratory-grade glycerin derived from edible fats, as petroleum-derived glycerin can contain harmful organic contaminants.
Pure vegetable glycerin is typically 99.7%+ pure, providing a clean base for the ozonation process. Any impurities present in lower-quality glycerin can react unpredictably with ozone, potentially creating harmful byproducts. By starting with USP-grade organic vegetable glycerin, Glyzine delivers a pure, consistent product.
Glyzine is produced in an ISO Class 5 cleanroom using high-purity cylinder oxygen — not concentrators, which introduce nitrogen into the ozone stream and produce nitrogen-containing byproducts. In partnership with Theriome, SimplyO3 completed an untargeted LC-MS metabolite profile of Glyzine — believed to be the first analysis of its kind on an ozonated glycerin product — providing a real chemical fingerprint rather than a single marketing number.
Closing Remarks
Ozonated glycerin, like Glyzine, combines the oxidative benefits of ozone with the hydrating and penetrating properties of glycerin. Its water solubility, established excipient safety profile, and tunable concentration make it a versatile format for a range of applications. When purchasing ozonated glycerin, purity of the base glycerin and oxygen source during production are the variables that matter most.
Ready to explore SimplyO3’s ozonated glycerin products? Visit the Ozonated Glycerin (Glyzine™) collection →
Continue Reading
- What’s Really in Ozonized Glycerin? | Chemical Profile — our independent LC-MS analysis
- Ozonized Glycerin vs. Ozone Oil — how the formats compare
- Glyzine™ Skincare Routine — how to use it
- Is Ozonated Glycerin Safe? — what the evidence shows
- Shop Ozonated Glycerin (Glyzine™) →
References
- Glycerol and the skin: holistic approach to its origin and functions. Br J Dermatol 159, 23–34.
- Mediplus Pharma patent JP7575652B2 — mass-spec characterization of ozonized glycerin (1,2,4-trioxepane structure).
- Moisture retention of glycerin solutions with various concentrations: a comparative study. Sci Rep 12, 10232.
- Ozonized glycerin (OG)-based cosmetic products lighten age spots on human facial skin. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology 21, 3133–3139.
- Microbial Inactivation: Gaseous or Aqueous Ozonation? Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, American Chemical Society.
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