Table 3.
Benefits, cosmetic claim, and toxicity of some active ingredients used in cosmetics together with hyaluronic acid and HA derivates.
| Active Ingredient | Cosmetic Claim and Skin Benefits | Toxicity of Topical Products |
|---|---|---|
| Probiotics | prevention and improvement of skin conditions (e.g., external signs of ageing, acne, rosacea, yeast and bacterial infections, psoriasis, dermatitis) [344,345,346,347,348,349,350] | no side effects [344,350] |
| Bifida Ferment Lysate | improves the skin’s epidermal renewal process [351] diminishes clinical signs and symptoms of atopic eczema [352,353,354] regulates skin reactivity and dryness [355] |
non-sensitizing [356] |
| Lactococcus Ferment Lysate | stimulates the skin’s self-renewal [357] significant improvement of atopic dermatitis (AD) [354] |
non-irritant, no allergenic potential [358] |
| Pseudoalteromonas Ferment Extract | reduces skin shininess, pores, spots, and sebum [359,360] | non-sensitizing, non-irritating [361] |
|
Amino acids, Peptides, Proteins |
common ingredients in cosmetics, as they function as natural moisturizing factors which act as water-binding molecules stimulating collagen and elastin synthesis in skin and improving surface healing anti-ageing effect, increase hydration of the skin which helps to reduce wrinkles and improves the functions of the skin barrier [362] |
safe in cosmetics [362] |
| Alanine | natural moisturizing factor which acts as a water binding molecule [362] | safe for cosmetic use no dermal irritation or sensitization [363] |
| Arginine | moisturizing effect increases skin hydration and alleviates the condition of skin dryness [364] |
no dermal irritation or sensitization [363] |
| Isoleucine | an essential amino acid known for its ability to support tissue repair effective in the treatment of mild to moderate chronic lesion of atopic eczema of the face [365] |
safe for cosmetic use [363] |
| Acetyl Hexapeptide-8 | cosmetic application for wrinkles, working by relaxing of superficial dermal muscles [366] decreases hyperkinetic facial lines or expression wrinkles, effective in reducing skin roughness [367] neurotransmitter inhibitor peptide, used in anti-wrinkle formulations applied to the periorbital area [368] |
well tolerated, with lack of burning and discomfort to the patient safe for topical application [369] |
| Acetylarginyltryptophyl Diphenylglycine | enhances skin elasticity and tightness, increases type I collagen synthesis [370] |
* N |
| Pentapeptide-18 | neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptide that decreases neuronal activity and catecholamine release, giving it Botox-like effects in reducing fine lines and wrinkles, and improving skin firmness [371] | safe for cosmetic use [372] |
| Dipeptide Diaminobutyroyl Benzylamide Diacetate | a small tripetide with anti-ageing and mattifying effect, stimulates PLOD 3 (procollagen-lysine, oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 3), enzyme which is known to be of importance for the intermolecular collagen crosslink stability, increasing the stability of collagen, especially in mature skin [373] |
* N |
| Palmitoyl Tripeptide | improvement of facial wrinkles, elasticity, dermal density and skin tone [374] | safe in cosmetic products [375] |
| Vitamins | useful role in the treatment of skin ageing and protection of human skin against UV induced ageing [376] | |
| Ascorbyl Tetraisopalmitate | antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, increases skin hydration and smoothness [377] |
contact dermatitis [378,379] |
| Niacinamide | antipruritic, antimicrobial, vasoactive, photoprotective, sebostatic capacity, lightening effect depending on its concentration [380] |
safe for cosmetic use [381] |
| Panthenol | hydrating and softening potential, significantly accelerating epidermal regeneration [382] |
allergic contact dermatitis [383,384] |
| Retinoids | antioxidant capacity, anti-wrinkle, depigmentation, anti-roughness, keratolytic effects, improve skin texture and laxity, protective effect against photo-ageing [385,386] | photosensitization, irritation, erythema, dermatitis, pruritus, burning sensation [386] |
| Tocopherol Tocotrienols |
antioxidant capacity, anti-wrinkle effect, improving skin moisture [157,385,387] | erythema, oedema, local irritation [387] |
| Saccharides | ||
| Trehalose | moisture retaining agent in several cosmetic creams and lotions [388,389] | safe for use in cosmetic products [388] |
| Bee products (Honey, Propolis) | ||
| Honey Extract Propolis Extract |
antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effect, antioxidant capacity, wound healing (stimulates angiogenesis, granulation, epithelialization, TNF-α (tumor necrosis factor-α) production, increasing collagen and fibroblasts synthesis), emollient, humectant, moisturizing, nourishing and protective effects against photo-ageing, restoration capacity of skin barrier function [390,391,392,393,394,395,396,397] |
contact dermatitis, acute sensitization [391,396,397] |
| Other Chemical Compounds | ||
| Allantoin (5-ureidohydantoin) |
anti-inflammatory effect and anti-irritation, wound healing and keratolytic properties, hydration effect, tissue regeneration and cell proliferation capacity [398,399] |
no adverse effects [399] |
| Ceramide 3 | increases SC hydration, enhances the barrier function and reduces inflammation [400,401] | safe for use in cosmetic products [402] |
| Gold | anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect, tissue regeneration capacity, restores skin elasticity, reduces signs of stress and ageing [403,404,405] |
particles larger than 30 nm can be considered as safe but there is a need to comprehensively study the effects of gold nanoparticles on the basis of their size distribution for their safe application in cosmetics [404] |
| Lactic acid | primarily used as moisturizer and pH regulator in cosmetics, antimicrobial activity, skin lightening effect, keratolytic properties, possesses high water-binding capacity, antibacterial effect [406,407] peeling agent used in the amelioration of acne vulgaris and in the treatment of melasma [408] |
good skin compatibility, showing only minor reactions [407] |
| Lecithin | antioxidant effect, dispersing agent for pigments [409] |
safe as used in rinse-off products safe for use in leave-on products at concentrations of 15% insufficient data to determine the safety for use in cosmetic products where Lecithin or Hydrogenated Lecithin are likely to be inhaled [409] |
| Malachite Extract | a copper complex extracted from the malachite stone, being a powerful free radical scavenger, boosting cellular defenses, offering protection and detoxifying benefits [410] | * N |
| Sodium Pyrrolidone Carboxylate | skin moisturizing effect [411] | safe in cosmetics non-irritating in a reconstructed human epidermis model test using the EpiSkin model [412] |
| Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) | reduces UV-induced erythema, free radical scavenger, anti-irritant effect, anti-ageing capacity [413] |
non-irritating and non-sensitizing [413] |
| Urea | humectant, decreases TEWL in normal skin and especially in xerotic skin disorders (AD patients) [414] moisturizing effect, desquamating actions (urea dissolves the intercellular cementing substance in the SC), antimicrobial action [415,416,417] |
safe as used in cosmetic products [415]. |
* N—No article reported. We used background color for cosmetic ingredients classes which represent examples of ingredients from the class presented above.