Panthenol (B5)

Also known as vitamin B5, and widely used in skincare products as a humectant because of the ability to attract and hold moisture, similar with hyaluronic acid.

Panthenol mixes readily with many different types of ingredients, making it's a versatile ingredient to be used in formulas because it's improves the look and feel of skin. When skincare products containing pro vitamin B5 are absorbed by the skin, the provitamin is converted to vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), which moisturises, calms, repairs, and revitalises skin (Pandey et al., 2023).

It has been used to calm the redness for inflammation of the skin, and if combined with niacinamide it strengthen the skin barrier function (Zhong et al., 2023).

Physical Characteristics

Also known as provitamin B5, pantothenol or pantothenyl alcohol
Panthenol exists in 2 isomeric form: D-panthenol and L-panthenol, of which D-panthenol is biologically active
Good solubility in water and alcohol
Not soluble in lipophilic vehicles
Low molecular weight: 205.254 daltons

Mechanism of Action

Emollient and Moisturiser:

Emollient: an ingredient that softens and smoothes the skin
Moisturising properties of panthenol are owed to its ability to enhances stratum corneum hydration through humectant properties
Humectants have the ability to bond and hold water within the skin
This improves skin softness and pliability
Enhanced skin hydration enhances epidermal regeneration
With increased epidermal regeneration stratum corneum morphological abnormalities can be improved to enhance barrier function which reduces TEWL to again maintain skin hydration (Zhou et al., 2021).

Benefits achieved from metabolism to pantothenic acid:

Pantothenic acid is an essential precursor for coenzyme A biosynthesis, and CoA is required for the Kreb’s cycle of cellular respiration and fatty acid synthesis
Pantothenic acid is involved in carbohydrate, lipid and protein synthesis
Once converted to pantothenic acid, it is beneficial for epidermal lipid synthesis hence indirectly improves the barrier function of the skin
An improved barrier function reduces TEWL, hence increases skin hydration
If able to penetrate to the dermis, it increases fibroblast activity to improve wound healing processes (Sobkowska et al., 2023).

Clinical Indicators

Dry, flaky and sensitive skin
Reactive skin types
Burns
Atopic dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis
Irritated skin
Conditions of impaired barrier function
Healing skin

Formulation Considerations

If contained within a suitable vehicle will penetrate the skin with ease
Rapid and good penetration is achieved best with a water in oil formulation, with the panthenol being included in the water phase of the emulsion
It is often paired with other humectant and emollient ingredients such as glycerol
D-panthenol is stable in pH ranges between 4-6
Often used in concentrations of 0.3-5%
Very well tolerated in the skin: essentially no minimal irritation and sensitisation

REFERENCES

Pandey, A., Jatana, G. K., & Sonthalia, S. (2023). Cosmeceuticals. StatPearls Publishing [Internet]. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK544223/

Sobkowska, D., Szalapska, A., Pawlaczyk, M., Urbanska, M., Micek, I., Wroblewska-Konczalik, K., . . . Gornowicz-Porowska, J. (2023). The Role of Cosmetology in an Effective Treatment of Rosacea: A Narrative Review. Clinical, cosmetic and investigational dermatology, 16, 1419-1430. doi:https://doi.org/10.2147/CCID.S412800

Zhong, C., Liang, G., Li, P., Shi, K., Li, F., Zhou, J., & Xu, D. (2023). Inflammatory response: The target for treating hyperpigmentation during the repair of a burn wound. Frontiers in immunology, 14, 1009137. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1009137

Zhou, S., Wang, Q., Huang, A., Fan, H., Yan, S., & Zhang, Q. (2021). Advances in Skin Wound and Scar Repair by Polymer Scaffolds. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 26(20), 6110. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26206110