The Foundation: Glycerin

Glycerin was first discovered in 1779 by Karl Wilhelm Scheele, a young Swedish chemist, when he heated a mixture of litharge (lead oxide) and olive oil. From this mixture he extracted a sweet liquid and named it “sweet oil.” In 1811, Chevreul, a Frenchman, gave the material the name glycerine, which is Greek for “sweet.” Very little was done with glycerin until 1868, when the great Swedish scientist Alfred Nobel discovered the value of nitroglycerine as an explosive. The first patent for recovering glycerin from soap lye was issued in the U.S. in 1870, but even at the turn of the twentieth century, glycerin was a little-known, little-appreciated byproduct of soap and candle manufacturing.

In 1904, P&G implemented the principles that underlie the glycerin recovery process still in use today. From our early beginnings at the turn of the century, P&G has continued to focus on the importance of innovation, supply network expertise, and customer service, enabling P&G Chemicals to have successfully become the world’s largest marketer of refined glycerin. P&G’s glycerin platform is focused on developing new supplies of raw materials and alternative feedstocks from glycerin. Glycerin derivatives are employed as petroleum chemicals replacements, providing a sustainable solution to petrochemical, or petroleum-based, alternatives.