Panthenol

What is panthenol?

Panthenol is an analog of vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid. Because it is a precursor to vitamin B5, it is sometimes also referred to as provitamin B5. Panthenol exists as 2 enantiomers, D-panthenol and L-panthenol, but only D-panthenol (dexpanthenol) is biologically active. DL-panthenol, which appears as a creamy white, crystalline powder, is a racemic mixture of both enantiomers (R).

Panthenol is used in cosmetics primarily as a moisturiser and hair conditioner (R). In 2002, at least 1538 cosmetic products contained panthenol, with use concentrations ranging from <0.1% to 6% (R). A more recent study in 2023 found that the amount of panthenol in the cosmetic products tend to gravitate towards two typical values - around 0.5% and around 5% (R).

Is panthenol stable?

Panthenol is more stable than pantothenic acid at acidic pHs of 3-4, and somewhat more stable at pH 5 (R). However, it is less stable than niacinamide, an analog of a different B vitamin. When commercial cosmetic products containing panthenol were subjected to stability tests, the panthenol content in 2 of the products degraded by over 10% during storage at 25°C, and up to 28% of the panthenol in 8 products degraded during storage at a higher temperature of 40°C (R).

Does panthenol get absorbed?

Panthenol is said to be an effective skin penetrator that can lead to high local concentrations when administered in appropriate vehicles such as water-in-oil emulsions (R). It is also known to be absorbed through the human nail (R). The use of ultrasound has been shown to enhance the penetration of panthenol in pig skin (R).

What happens after panthenol is absorbed?

Panthenol is metabolised to pantothenic acid in the skin (R).