Know Your Ingredients: Panthenol

Posted by beautifulwithbrains | March 21, 2009 .

What is it
Panthenol is a provitamin derived from pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5) and alcohol. A provitamin is a substance that is converted into a vitamin (vitamin B5 in this case) inside a living cell. However, it stays in its provitamin form on hair, as the cells there are dead.
In cosmetics and personal care products two forms of Panthenol are used: D-Panthenol (viscous oil) and DL-Panthenol (creamy white, crystalline powder). Both have moisturizing properties.

What it does
Panthenol is an emollient and a humectant. It penetrates into lower skin layers and turns into Vitamin B5 in the skin cells. It reduces water loss and hydrates skin, leaving it smooth. Because it keeps moisture in, it fills out skin so that it stretches reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Panthenol is also a hair conditioning agent. It doesn’t nourish hair but coats it, lubricating it so that it appears shiny. Although panthenol is said to penetrate and strenghten hair, there isn’t much proof that this ingredients is effective for hair. Scinetific studies on this ingredients were conducted using much higher concentrations than those actually found in hair care products. And even in studies that used the proper concentrations hair was let soak in panthenol and not rinsed off.
Panthenol is said to be effective in treating acne because it counteracts bacteria. However, there is only one small study that supports this theory. But the ingredients is actually effective at healing minor wounds and sunburns. It treats irritations and dry skin and reduces itching and inflammations.

Side effects
Panthenol doesn’t have any side effects.

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