If cosmetic ingredients had a VIP lounge, glycerin would be lounging in cashmere joggers with a glass of iced water — calm, reliable, and somehow in every single party pic. It’s the humectant that doesn’t chase hype but still gets into everything from $120 creams to your grandma’s old Neutrogena. Where Glycerin Actually Comes From Glycerin (also glycerol) was first produced way back in 1779 by Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele in the process of heating olive oil with lead oxide. Yes, it was that long ago. It occurs naturally in fats and oils (animal or plant) and today is mostly made from plant oils like palm, coconut, or soy.