Sorbitol in Skincare

Introduction

Sorbitol stands out as the primary element in sugar-free sweeteners, serving as a popular alternative to sugar with its 60% sweetness level compared to sucrose. Its presence can be noted in a wide array of products, such as diet beverages, gum, mints, ice cream, and even cough syrups. But have you ever wondered about the beauty advantages that this sweetener offers? Sorbitol poses benefits for enhancing the beauty of both your skin and hair.

Learn more about what is sorbitol and how sorbitol benefits your skin care regime.

What is sorbitol?

Sorbitol also known as sugar alcohols can be made artificially or acquired from natural sources. The substance acts as a humectant (a moisturising agent), a texture enhancer, and a stabiliser, just like glycerin. Sorbitol is considered safe when used in cosmetics. More recent studies have revealed that sorbitol is an important adjunct to delivery systems for improving the permeability and lifetime of natural antioxidants. The average proportion of sorbitol used in skincare varies from 5% to 50%, while this amount ranges between 0.2 and 3.6% for makeup products such as powder. When we take into account its sugar element, sorbitol turns into an amazing prebiotic that is able to “feed” probiotics responsible for skin microbiota balance.

What does sorbitol do in skincare products?

Sorbitol plays an essential role in skincare products. Listed below are some of them:

1. Moisturiser

Sorbitol is a humectant that keeps the skin moisturised and hydrated in skincare products. It is a water-attracting ingredient that pulls water into the skin, hence making it moist and dewy. Dry-skinned people can appreciate the benefits of an ingredient like sorbitol and its humectant properties.

Also read: What is a humectant?

2. Anti-ageing

In addition, ageing skin could benefit from sorbitol. Gradually, our skin's inability to retain hydration increases as we age. The surface layers of your skin have natural moisturising factors or humectants. NMF is involved in fighting wrinkles by attracting moisture within cells to keep them hydrated. As ageing takes place, there is a great reduction in NMF found in the skin, leading to dryness and eventually wrinkle formation.

3. Texture

The next function of sorbitol in cosmetics or skincare products includes thickening agents. One of the key considerations when formulating these products is to make sure that they spread easily and evenly when applying them to your body/face/skin etc. This helps ensure that important ingredients get where they are needed for work to be done as efficiently as possible.

Sorbitol benefits in skincare

Let us see what are sorbitol benefits and how it helps to enhance your skin.

• One of the interesting facts about sorbitol is that it can feed on skin microbiome probiotics, which helps to balance them.
• Its humectant property allows the skin to keep its moisture content, consequently making it soft.
• The microbiota breaks down sorbitol into beta-glucan, which has a calming impact on the skin.
• Skin also has a protective layer that is formed by sorbitol. It keeps out harsh elements of weather and other environmental harm.

Precautions while using sorbitol

There are no serious side effects of sorbitol as long as you take it in moderation. However, too much of anything can be very harmful for you. Just like any other thing in this world, there are advantages and drawbacks associated with sorbitol. So let’s explore some of the side effects it has.

• Sorbitol should not be consumed regularly by pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.
• Children and adults often experience intolerance to sorbitol. The primary symptoms of sorbitol intolerance include dermatitis or rash breakouts.

Conclusion

Sorbitol is loaded with hydrating and nourishing properties, due to which it has become the latest trend in the beauty world. Many leading skincare and haircare products contain sorbitol to harness its beauty benefits. In most cases, sorbitol is considered safe when consumed in trace amounts. It is considered to be the simplest, safest, and most cheap alternative to sugar. As it is slowly metabolised in the small intestine, it shows relatively little effect on plasma glucose levels. Hence, it is considered safe for everyone, even people suffering from diabetes. So here is everything about what is sorbitol and how sorbitol benefits your skin and hair care regime.