Glutamic Acid at a Glance
- An amino acid that aids in hydrating and conditioning skin
- Naturally present in the human body as well
- Can be derived from animals and plants, but the synthetic form is typically used in cosmetics
- Deemed safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel
Glutamic Acid Description
Glutamic acid is an amino acid that aids in hydrating and conditioning skin. In cosmetic formulas, glutamic acid is typically synthetic, although it can also be derived from animals and plants. It’s considered a non-essential amino acid since it naturally occurs in the human body.
Glutamic acid takes the form of crystals as a raw cosmetic material. It is related to the increasingly popular humectant polyglutamic acid, which is essentially multiple glutamic acid molecules bound together.
Glutamic acid has been deemed safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Their assessment surveyed 308 products containing concentrations between 0.000004-2%.
Glutamic Acid References
Malaysian Applied Biology, May 2018, pages 113–117
Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, April 2014, pages 153-158
International Journal of Toxicology, 2013, pages 41S-64S
Journal of Investigative Dermatology, June 2003, pages 1,023-1,029