All scans / Moisturizers / MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream
MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream ingredients: is it worth it?
This is a bare-bones barrier cream with solid emollients but zero modern actives and a couple of formulation red flags.
This is a bare-bones barrier cream with solid emollients but zero modern actives and a couple of formulation red flags.
READ MORE
Efficacy is driven purely by classic emollients and humectants like glycerin, triglycerides, dimethicone, squalene, and fatty alcohols, which can support hydration and barrier function but offer no targeted anti-aging, brightening, or soothing actives; overall performance is adequate as an occlusive moisturizer but unremarkable. The base is functional, yet the inclusion of Toluene and older antioxidant preservatives makes the safety profile less elegant than contemporary options, keeping this squarely in utilitarian, not high-performance, territory.
We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Links never influence scores.
DemythSkin rates MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream 3.3/5 for efficacy and 4.3/5 for safety.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS BY TIER
Gold Standards
High clinical proof | Skin-transformativeReliable
Proven resultsPotent
Developing evidenceOverhyped | Marketing
Hype | Limited dataDocumented Irritants
Evidence-backed flagFORMULATION BASE (10)⌄
FULL INGREDIENT LIST⌄
Lecithin , Magnesium Aluminum Silicate , Carbomer 934 , Glycerin , Sodium Hydroxide , Capric Acid Triglyceride , Dimethicone , Squalene , Polyoxyl 40 Stearate , Stearic Acid , Glycol Stearate , Glyceryl Stearate , Cetyl Alcohol , Myristyl Myristate , C-10-30 Carboxylic Acid Sterol Ester , Butylated Hydroxy Anisole , Toluene , Water , EDTA
WHAT EACH INGREDIENT DOES (19)⌄
- Lecithin
- Emulsifier and skin-conditioning agent
- Magnesium Aluminum Silicate
- Thickener and stabilizer
- Carbomer 934
- Gel-forming thickener
- Glycerin
- Humectant for hydration
- Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
- Capric Acid Triglyceride
- Emollient lipid base
- Dimethicone
- Silicone skin protectant
- Squalene
- Emollient and occlusive lipid
- Polyoxyl 40 Stearate
- Nonionic emulsifier
- Stearic Acid
- Fatty acid, thickener, emulsifier
- Glycol Stearate
- Emollient and opacifier
- Glyceryl Stearate
- Emulsifier and emollient
- Cetyl Alcohol
- Fatty alcohol emollient
- Myristyl Myristate
- Emollient, texture enhancer
- C-10-30 Carboxylic Acid Sterol Ester
- Emulsifying and stabilizing ester
- Butylated Hydroxy Anisole
- Antioxidant preservative
- Toluene
- Solvent in trace amounts
- Water
- Solvent base
- EDTA
- Chelating agent preservative booster
EXTERNAL CITATIONS
Glycerin: Well-established humectant shown to improve stratum corneum hydration and barrier function in multiple clinical studies.
Dimethicone: Commonly used occlusive agent with evidence for reducing transepidermal water loss and protecting compromised skin barriers.
Squalene: Endogenous skin lipid analog used as an emollient to support barrier lipids and improve skin softness.
DISCLAIMER: THIS ANALYSIS IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY. NOT MEDICAL ADVICE. AI-GENERATED DATA BASED ON PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INGREDIENT LISTS. VERIFY WITH A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL.
MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream: common questions
Is MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream worth it?
MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream scores 3.3 out of 5.0 for efficacy (Mid) and 4.3 out of 5.0 for safety (Gentle) on DemythSkin's independent ingredient analysis. This is a bare-bones barrier cream with solid emollients but zero modern actives and a couple of formulation red flags.
What are the key active ingredients in MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream?
MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream contains no gold-standard actives. Its formula is built on supporting and base ingredients rather than clinically transformative actives.
Does MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream contain fragrance or known irritants?
DemythSkin flags these ingredients in MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream as documented irritants: Myristyl Myristate.
How is MSD Emolene Propylene Glycol Cream scored?
DemythSkin grades every product on two independent scores: efficacy (whether the ingredients have clinical evidence of working) and safety (irritation and sensitisation risk). Ingredients are graded S through D against a database of over 3,000 compounds. Brand and price are not part of the score, and no brand pays for one.
Free scores for every product in the database, or see them on Sephora, Ulta and Amazon with the Chrome extension.