One of the most essential ingredients used in cosmetics, hair dye, shampoo and fake-tan is in short supply in the UK, according to online pharmacy Medicine Direct, leading to serious concerns over the supply of a wide range of beauty products.
Ethoxydiglycol is responsible for how cosmetics are applied to the skin. Without it, many cosmetic products as we know them would be unusable.
The shortage, which is expected to hit UK and European cosmetics manufacturing in the next few weeks has already seen a price hike of Ethoxydigylcol increase from £12.10 to £103 per kg, and many suppliers are now completely out of stock.
Ethoxydiglycol is a vital ingredient. It is a clear, colourless liquid that helps to improve the texture, function, and effectiveness of some of the UK’s most well-known cosmetic products.
It is used in a wide range of products including makeup, anti-ageing products, hair dye, shampoo, fake tan, fragrances and shaving products.
Without Ethoxydiglycol, the quality risks of all kinds of cosmetics could be dire, resulting in issues such as:
- Patchy makeup that cannot be evenly applied to the skin, facial movements will cause the make up to crack and fall off the skin
- Hair dye that will streak the hair and wash out after only a couple of washes due to the hairs inability to absorb the hair dye
- Fake tan applying streaky and uneven, washing off after coming into contact with water
- Anti-ageing and acne treatments worsening the appearance of wrinkles and spots by drying out and clogging up the pores of the skin
Medicine Direct’s Clinical Director and Superintendent Pharmacist, Hussain Abdeh said: “Ethoxydiglycol is almost single handily responsible for how cosmetics are applied to the skin. Without it, many cosmetic products as we know them would be unusable. Essentially, without Ethoxydiglycol, cosmetics could end up causing more damage than good for a number of skin conditions.
"This problem can also cause serious problems for medical treatments, particularly in topical creams for conditions like eczema, acne and psoriasis. Without an effective solvent, topical treatments will be hindered in their absorption, which will have the knock-on effect of hindering their healing properties."
