E1521
Polyethylene glycol
A compound derived from petroleum used in many things.
It is commonly put into gels that can be used further.
Written from English Wikipedia1
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- EU permitted
What research says
How it’s made and used
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How much gets into the body2
Scientists found people eating polyethylene glycol from supplements stay below the daily amount experts consider acceptable.
The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least two findings in people. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.
Regulatory status
Checked Sep 2026-
European Union Permitted EUR-Lex Reg. (EC) 1333/2008
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United Kingdom Permitted FSA retained EU law
Status reflects the named register on the date checked. It is not a safety rating. A country appears here once we've found this ingredient on its official list.
How we checkProducts
The 6 most-scanned of 197 products on Open Food Facts that list polyethylene glycol.
- One a day Men’s 50+ Bayer 10 additives
- DAILY MULTI Kirkland · 500 tablets 12 additives
- Pain pita groupe Adpnis · 225 g 3 additives
- magnesium nature made · 250 mg 6 additives
- Centrum ADULTS Centrum · 365 Tablets 11 additives
- Multivitamin Tablets Effervescent Sainsbury's · 20 tablets 7 additives
References
- 1Polyethylene glycol. Wikipedia. Accessed September 26, 2026.
- 2Younes M, Aggett P, Aguilar F, et al. Refined exposure assessment of polyethylene glycol (E 1521) from its use as a food additive. EFSA J. 2018;16(6):e05293. doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2018.5293