Where have you heard of the word glycerine from a song by Bush of the same title or from your chemistry class? Or the term seems familiar but you just cannot pinpoint how or where you have heard of the word? It may be one of those words that we do not understand yet we do not mind looking it up in the dictionary. Now let us see why this pleasant-sounding and sweet-tasting chemical substance is worthy of public recognition.

Imagine you have eczema or just dry skin. So you constantly use moisturizing soaps and apply moisturizing lotions. Find time to check the ingredients usually written at the back of these products’ container. More often than not, you will find glycerine or glycerin there. The reason for this is that the substance is a humectant or it attracts moisture to the skin. So unless you just don’t really care about skin care, then the chemical substance does matter. Now if you want your soap to have an extra moisturizing effect then you can make your own soap. You will only need blocks of a pure glycerine soap base and a microwave. You will also need molds, which may come in various shapes, depending on your preference.

Another reason why the substance does matter is that it is used in making mouthwashes, unless you do not care about fresh breath. In fact, when the substance is gargled, it can eliminate halitosis or bad breath as it would kill the sulfurous bacteria that live in the mouth. It is also found in toothpaste where it acts as a sweetening agent as well as to keep the paste from drying when its container is left uncapped. Now that cosmetics and toiletries are being mentioned, other products where it is found include lipstick, mascara, pre-shaving creams, and deodorants.

It also does matter if you are a cleanliness buff. See those sticky food spilled on your freezer? You can remove them by wiping them off with a rag dabbed with glycerine. You can also use it to remove tar or mustard stain. All you have to do is apply some amount of the substance on the spot and leave it for about an hour. Using paper towels mildly remove the spot and do this using a blot-and-lift motion.

Further industries where the chemical substance does matter include:

• tobacco industry where it is used as a moistening agent in tobacco products; it is also used to make cigarette filter tips and to add flavor to the chewing tobacco

• paper industry where it prevents paper from shrinking while being manufactured

• textile industry where it is used to lubricate various kinds of fiber

• pharmaceutical industries where it is used to produce drugs like anesthetics, suppositories, cough remedies, ear infection remedies, and capsules.

Here are more reasons why it does matter:

• it can be composted and used as a fertilizer

• it moistens candies, cakes, and other baked goods

• it is a component of nitroglycerine, which is used in making dynamite

• it is used as a plasticizer in cellophane

• it can be used to preserve scientific experiments

With all the uses of glycerine mentioned and discussed, you still get to decide if it does matter or not. But whatever your take is, the fact still remains that it does matter to not one but many industries that manufacture products we use every day. It is not just a title of a song or a word entry in the dictionary. It is one chemical substance that hides in the soaps that we use every day and in the baked goodies that we just love to eat.