Chamois Cream and Propylene Glycol

[paulw9]

I've noticed that the leading chamois creams (Assos and Chamois Butt'r) both use Propylene Glycol as an ingredient. A number of manufacturers in the cosmetics industry have begun pulling Propylene Glycol from their products over health concerns so I'm wondering if there is a potential health risk in using chamois creams that contain Propylene Glycol.

Anyone know of a good chamois cream that does not contain Propylene Glycol?

 

[martin_j001]

Bag Balm, see ingredients on this page, scroll down just a bit. http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=88470&catid=10401&trx=29384&tab=0#0
I've heard of a lot of people using it as a chamois creme, but I've also heard that it isn't the best for the chamois itself. I'd be affraid to use something that thick on a nice pair of shorts only to have it damage the chamois, who knows though. I know for sure that it does prevent chafing and helps to cure saddle sores though.

Also check out Body Glide, althought I'm having a hard time finding out what it actually made of--website only seems to list "all natural ingredients". Many triathletes and adventure racers seem to rely on this stuff, but I've never tried it myself.

 

[Orange Fish]

Yeah go for Body Glide. I don't know about the ingredients in it, but I like it the best. As for the Propylene Glycol, I have a feeling that if there are any adverse effects associated with it, it's not present in a high enough concentration in the chamois cream to really cause any problems.

It's like the whole Nalgene bottle controversy where some people are saying that the Nalgene bottles with specific numbers on the bottoms of the bottles showing what type of plastic they're made from are actually bad because they leak a carcinogenic chemical into your water. Studies on this have shown that the amount present in the bottle that MAY leak out is so small that you would need to consume that amount something like every hour of every day for the rest of your life to reach a toxic level.

So I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[eric_the_red]

I wouldn't worry too much about the amount of propylene glycol in chamois cream. Most of the bad publicity with propylene glycol is that uneducated consumers associate it with ethylene glycol, aka antifreeze, which is very toxic. It's also been suspected of renal toxicity when used intravenously in large amounts.
The small amount you'd be slapping on your rear end won't cause any problems.

 

[paulw9]

Just thought I'd update my own question with a product that I found that has been working very well for me (and it does not contain Propylene Glycol). The product is call "Friction Zone" from Brave Soldier and I've used it for a dozen or so rides now without any problems with saddle sores. It's a bit different from some of the other creams in that you apply it to the skin rather than to the chamois.

I recommend "Friction Zone" very highly. If you want to learn more, here's the URL: http://www.bravesoldier.com/p_friction.cfm

There are a number of places where you can buy it on-line if you're interested in trying some, but this place is the least expensive that I've found: http://store.yahoo.com/energyfoodwarehouse/brsofrzo.html

I've noticed that the leading chamois creams (Assos and Chamois Butt'r) both use Propylene Glycol as an ingredient. A number of manufacturers in the cosmetics industry have begun pulling Propylene Glycol from their products over health concerns so I'm wondering if there is a potential health risk in using chamois creams that contain Propylene Glycol.

Anyone know of a good chamois cream that does not contain Propylene Glycol?