The Hydrating, Anti-Inflammatory Sodium PCA

We have previously talked about quite a few hydrating ingredients, such as glycerin, beta-glucan, panthenol, aloe vera and hyaluronic acid (click the ingredient names to check out all the deeds!). Today, let’s add one to the list, which you may be unfamiliar or even unaware of——Sodium PCA.

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What is Sodium PCA?

Sodium PCA is the salt form of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (or sometimes called pyroglutamic acid or proline), which is an amino acid. It is a natural component of the skin created through the breakdown of the filaggrin within corneocytes that helps with attracting water to the skin, preventing moisture loss, and blocking out bacteria and allergens. Natural PCA levels make up approximately 12 percent of the skin’s natural moisturizing factor (or NMF), but they can drop considerably with age.

As a humectant, Sodium PCA can hold only up to 250 times it weight in water, which is considerably much less than hyaluronic acid’s 1,000 times, however, it is more expensive as an ingredient, because it can provide other skin benefits that hyaluronic acid can’t. In addition, it is extremely non-irritating, and there's no evidence of it causing sensitivity even in super high concentrations of 40%-50% (although it is never used in such high concentration), making it safe for the most sensitive, inflammatory skin types.

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Skin Benefits of Sodium PCA ① Hydrates Skin

Typically used in a concentration range of 0.2 to 2.5% in skincare products, Sodium PCA attracts water from the surrounding air to the top layers of the skin and cells, thanks to its hygroscopic nature. Since Sodium PCA is also a main component of the NMF, not only can it increase the natural moisturising factor in the skin which declines with age, it also locks in hydration, prevents water loss and helps maintain optimal hydration level. In fact, studies demonstrated that 2% of Sodium PCA in a skincare product can notably reduce dehydration and dryness.

Product Recommendation
KLUR
Immersion Serum Concentrate  <- Click to shop

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Skin Benefits of Sodium PCA ② Strengthens The Lipid Barrier

Different from how oils and lipids make up the lipid barrier, Sodium PCA functions in the skin’s intracellular matrix like a glue that holds the cells together, thereby preventing the lipid barrier from breaking apart. This helps prevent water loss and the growth of bacteria and allergens on the skin, and thus subsequently reduces the chances of clogged pores, acne, and inflammatory issues like redness, itchiness, eczema and dermatitis.

Product Recommendation
TWELVE BEAUTY
Ultra Revitalising Elixir  <- Click to shop

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Skin Benefits of Sodium PCA ③ Controls Inflammation and Treats Eczema

When the skin is exposed to any form of pathogen and toxin, the first line of defence is provided by the microbiome i.e. the delicate balance of good and bad bacteria on the skin, as it drives our immune system. Unlike many skincare ingredients that can disrupt this balance, Sodium PCA protects it, thereby preventing and controlling inflammation.

Now, in its simplest form, eczema, is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that involves an impaired, unhealthy skin barrier, an unbalance of skin microbiome, and our immune system’s reaction to external aggressors. Studies have found that after two weeks of regular application, Sodium PCA when combined with other barrier repairing ingredients reduced common symptoms of eczema such as irritation, roughness, inflammation and itching, while textural symptoms reduced by 79% and skin hydration levels increased by 44%.

In fact, this quality makes it more attractive than Hyaluronic Acid, as studies have shown that when Hyaluronic Acid is broken down into very low molecular weight ( ≤ 25 kDA) or nano-sized, it can potentially pull bacteria and other unwanted ingredients more deeply into the skin (see why Hyaluronic Acid May Make Your Skin Worse)

Product Recommendation
TWELVE BEAUTY
Clear Beginning Hand Spray  <- Click to shop

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Skin Benefits of Sodium PCA ④ Anti-Aging

When it comes to anti-aging, dealing with collagen and elastin breakdown, photoaging, and free radicals are only part of the equation. As mentioned above, natural PCA is estimated to make up approximately 12 percent of the NMF in healthy, youthful skin. However, as it depletes with age and from routine exposure to sensitizing substances, such as foaming cleanser and drying alcohol, the skin will become drier and with visible signs of aging, such as fine lines and wrinkles. By topically applying Sodium PCA on the skin thus replenishing the skin’s NMF content, such visible signs of aging will be reduced, leaving skin appear smoother, firmer and more hydrated.

Product Recommendation
TWELVE BEAUTY
Artemisia Power Protection Moisturiser SPF50+  <- Click to shop

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