Database/Humectant/PCA
100% natural origin · ISO 16128

Is PCA natural?

Yes. Made by cyclising fermentation-derived glutamic acid; the water lost in cyclisation carries no petrochemical mass.

INCI namePCA
CAS98-79-3
FormulaC5H7NO3 · 129.11 Da
FunctionHumectant · Moisturising
FeedstockProduced by heating L-glutamic acid, itself made by…

How we scored it

Intramolecular cyclisation of L-glutamic acid (fermentation amino acid) with loss of water; all ring atoms trace to glutamic acid = 1.0
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Produced by heating L-glutamic acid, itself made by sugar fermentation, causing it to cyclise into PCA with loss of water. This mirrors a component of skin's own natural moisturising factor.

In plain English

A moisture-binding ingredient that mirrors a substance skin already makes itself, produced commercially from fermented plant sugars. It helps skin attract and hold onto water.

Structure

2D structure of PCA

(2S)-5-oxopyrrolidine-2-carboxylic acid

PubChem CID 7405 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2PCA. PubChem CID 7405. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PCA. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PCA. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PCA