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Humectants in Cosmetics
Humectants are frequently used in cosmetics as a way of increasing and maintaining moisture in the skin and hair. They are used in several cosmetic products, including shampoo, conditioner, frizz serum, lotions, creams, lip treatments, cleansers, after-sun lotion, and some soaps or body lotions. As hygroscopic moisturizers, humectants work by attracting water to the upper layer of the skin (stratum corneum). All humectants have common hydroxyl groups which allow them to participate in hydrogen bonding and attract water. This process attracts moisture from the outer layer of the skin or, in high humidity, from the atmosphere. The moisture is then trapped against the epidermis or the shaft of the hair, depending on where the humectant is applied. Various humectants have different ways of behaving because they differ in water binding capacity at different humidities. Mostly manmade humectants are used in cosmetic products. Synthetic humectants used in cosmetics include Triethylene Glycol, Tripropylene glycol , propylene glycol, and PPGs. Other popular humectants in cosmetics include glycerin, sorbitol (sugar alcohol), hexylene and butylene glycol, urea, and collagen. Glycerin is one of the most popular humectants used because it produces the desired result fairly frequently and is low in cost. A category of humectants called nanolipidgels allow skin to retain moisture, but also possess antifungal properties. Scientists are also working to discover different types of humectants. A team of researchers recently did a study investigating the moisturizing and skin whitening effects of wine cakes with definitive results.