Ingredient

RETINYL PROPIONATE

Name / description

Retinyl Propionate; Vitamin A1 Propionate

Function(s) of this ingredient in cosmetic products

SKIN CONDITIONING

Maintains the skin in good condition

Origin

plant/synthetic

Occurrence in cosmetics

Day creams, night creams, face sera, hand creams, body lotions, after-sun products, eyecare products

Background information on use in cosmetics

Retinol also known as Vitamin A1 or axerophthol is a fat-soluble, essential vitamin. Retinol is sensitive to light, air and oxidants and serves the organism as a radical scavenger. Because of the sensitivity of retinol to acids and oxidants, cosmetics use mostly the more stable retinol esters (eg retinyl acetate, retinyl linoleate and retinyl palmitate) or the aldehyde form (retinal). Retinol occurs naturally in fish, butter, yolk and dairy products, amongst others. Retinol derivatives are mainly used in cosmetics against dry, scaly skin but also blemished skin and in the event of skin stressed by light. They play an important role, more particularly as anti-ageing active ingredient. Retinol is relevant for skin formation and contributes to the smoothing of wrinkles caused by the environment. It increases the skin elasticity and ensures, for instance, that loose callous material is more rapidly shed off and the cell renewal of the skin surface is gaining momentum. Moreover, retinol inhibits the degradation of collagen and promotes its new formation; this is the reason why the active ingredient also meets the special demands of mature skin. As a result of a lack of Vitamin A, the skin can become flaky and dry and can lead, as a consequence, to increased wrinkle formation. Retinol is only used in low concentrations in cosmetics. It is important to take up the vitamin also with the daily diet.

Links to scientific assessments

Opinion of the SCCS (2016) on the safety as cosmetic ingredient

Opinion of the SCCS (2021) on the safety as cosmetic ingredient (revision)

Belongs to the following substance groups

Ingredients for skincare

Regulating cosmetics

Cosmetics Ingredients are subject to regulation. Please note, different regulations may apply to cosmetic ingredients outside the EU.

Understanding your cosmetics

How are cosmetics kept safe in Europe?

Strict laws make sure that cosmetics and personal care products sold in the European Union are safe for people to use. Companies, national and European regulatory authorities share the responsibility of keeping cosmetic products safe.

What should I know about endocrine disruptors?

Some ingredients used in cosmetic products have been claimed to be ‘endocrine disruptors’ because they have the potential to mimic some of the properties of our hormones. Just because something has the potential to mimic a hormone does not mean it will disrupt our endocrine system. Many substances, including natural ones, mimic hormones but very few, and these are mostly potent medicines, have ever been shown to cause disruption of the endocrine system. The rigorous product safety assessments by qualified, scientific experts that companies are legally obliged to carry out cover all potential risks, including potential endocrine disruption.

Are cosmetics tested on animals? No!

In the European Union, testing cosmetics on animals has been fully banned since 2013. Over the last 30 years, long before a ban was in place, the cosmetics and personal care industry has invested in research and development to pioneer alternatives to animal testing tools to assess the safety of cosmetics ingredients and products.

What about allergens in cosmetics?

Many substances, natural or man-made, have the potential to cause an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction occurs when a person’s immune system reacts to substances that are harmless to most people. A substance that causes an allergic reaction is called an allergen. Cosmetics and personal care products may contain ingredients that can be allergenic for some people. This does not mean that the product is not safe for others to use.

Database

Cosmetics matter to people and play an important role in our everyday life. On average European consumers use over seven different cosmetics daily. You too? It’s only natural that you want to know more about the ingredients in those products.

In the digital world we live in, there’s a deluge of information on cosmetics. However, it can be difficult to know which sources are reliable. COSMILE Europe is a European cosmetic ingredient database that offers reliable, verified and scientifically supported information on almost 30,000 ingredients used in cosmetics.

This database will help you understand why certain ingredients are in your cosmetic products; which properties they have and much more. The database is currently available in fourteen languages with more to come.

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