All-rounder: Glycerin

In today’s edition of our newsletter, we’re getting sweet on you as we sell the glycerin of tomorrow, today. The basis of our portfolio is predominantly biogenic glycerin from plant-based raw materials. Depending on the requirements, our manufacturers assure us that these meet the standards for EP/USP, food conformity, and kosher & halal, and are mostly palm oil-free or RSPO-certified. Find out more!

The basic building block in all natural fats

About glycerin

Carl Wilhelm Scheele discovered glycerin more or less by accident in 1779 through the saponification of olive oil, yet the simplest trivalent alcohol was not given its actual name until Michel-Eugène Chevreul christened it in 1823. Glycerin is a sugar alcohol and is also known as glycerol and glycerine, any of which is simply a trivial name for propane-1,2,3-triol. These days, glycerin is an indispensable product of modern daily life.


Where is glycerin used?

Thanks to its moisturizing properties, glycerin is used in the cosmetics industry as an additive in creams, gels, ointments, shampoos, and hair treatments. The food and the tobacco industries make use of these same properties, with glycerin often found as an ingredient under the designation E422. This applies, for example, to meat products, chewing gum, dates, and sweeteners, as well as in cigarette tobacco, shisha tobacco, and e-liquids. In the pharmaceutical sector, glycerin is used, among other things, for the production of suppositories or ear drops, while the technical sector uses it mainly as an additive for lubricants (e.g. in the automotive industry).

In general, we offer the possibility of receipt in IBCs from 1,250 kg, as well as in flexitanks and tank trucks from 22,500 kg each.


Thanks to our global logistics and supplier network, we are able to submit an individual offer or contract to you at any time and can accommodate any requests you may have in doing so. Don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!

Andreas Strube
Head of BU Performance Chemicals

Tel.: +49 40 300501-8012
E-Mail: a.strube[at]terchemicals.com