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Ectoin

Our database includes 574 products that contain Ectoin.

Explained

Ectoin is a compound found naturally in some species of bacteria. It can be synthetically created for skincare use.

This ingredient is an osmolyte; Osmolytes help organisms survive osmotic shock (it protects them from extreme conditions). It does this by influencing the properties of biological fluids within cells.

When applied to the skin, ectoin helps bind water molecules to protect our skin. The water forms a sort of armor for the parts of our skin cells, enzymes, proteins, and more.

Besides this, ectoin has many uses in skincare:

  1. A study from 2004 found ectoin to counteract the damage from UV-A exposure at different cell levels. It has also been shown to protect skin against both UV-A, UV-B rays, infrared light, and visible light.

  2. Studies show ectoin to have dual-action pollution protection: first, it protects our skin from further pollution damage. Second, it helps repair damage from pollution.

In fact, ectoin has been shown to help with:

  • repairing broken skin barrier
  • reducing inflammation
  • improving the appearance of wrinkles
  • softening rough and scaly parts of the skin
  • improve skin hydration levels

Fun fact: In the EU, ectoin is used in inhalation medication as an anti-pollution ingredient.

Ectoin is a highly stable ingredient. It has a wide pH range of 1-9. Light, oxygen, and temperature do not affect this ingredient.

Community Rating
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What it does

Skin Conditioning To hydrate and soften skin

Alternative names

Ectoine

Prevalence

Less common Percentage of products that contain it
0.8%
Top categories
Treatments
Sunscreens
Moisturizers
Position Predominant list placement
Top 50%
Concentration Concentrations we've seen
0% to 1%

References

CosIng Data

CosIng ID 56122
INCI Name ECTOIN
All Functions Skin Conditioning