The Benefits of Sodium PCA in Skincare

Want a smoother texture? Then try sodium PCA

Or perhaps it’s more moisturisation you are after? Then Sodium PCA has you covered.

Or maybe it’s a cooling, quenching overnight treat, to plump and restore your skin? Yep, you guessed it, try sodium PCA.

Basically, if you want to rehydrate hungover, overly-parched, dry, or mature skin, its sodium PCA is all the way baby.

A streamlined skincare routine is all about substitution,where one product will do the job of several.

And there is no better electrolyte cocktail for your skin than sodium PCA.

What is Sodium PCA?

Technically, It is the sodium salt of pyrrolidone carboxylic acid; a naturally-occurring amino acid known as Proline found in proteins.

It’s a tricky little number that often falls under many different guises including; monosodium salt, sodium pyroglutamate or monosodium salt DL-proline

Whilst some of the sodium PCA used in skincare is synthetically created, it is, for the most part, a natural ingredient that is derived from plants, fruits, and coconut oil.

The fermentation process involves the use of sugars and starches, which creates a plant-derived form of the ingredient.

Here at the Naked Chemist, we use sodium PCA derived from the fermentation of soybeans in our formulas, such as Quench ultra-hydrating water gel.

It has several roles in the personal care industry, depending on where it is extracted from:

• the Sodium PCA that is extracted from vegetable and grasses is often used for its emollient properties in moisturisers
• the Sodium PCA that is extracted from coconut oil is used for its emulsification properties
• algae and Seaweed contain moderate levels of PCA, which is often used for its water-binding properties

Sodium PCA Versus Hyaluronic Acid

Hyaluronic acid is often used as is a key ingredient in many formulations; this is due to its ability to pull moisture into skin tissues and lock it there.

Sodium PCA works similarly; the sodium salt makes the molecule, both water-soluble and an effective humectant, drawing water from the atmosphere to your skin and hair to offer hydration.

Whilst Sodium PCA and Hyaluronic acid are both humectants, the main difference between them is how well they can produce this effect.

Sodium PCA can hold up to roughly 250 times its weight in water, while Hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water. For this reason, you will often find these two ingredients used in combination with each other, to improve the moisture-retaining properties of a formula.

Sodium PCA is thought to be 1.5 times more effective than Glycerin and twice as effective as Propylene glycol at drawing in water to your skin.

Benefits of Sodium PCA

Those reasons alone are enough to explain why you should probably incorporate this important ingredient into your skincare routine. Still, frankly, Sodium PCA’s beauty resumé is so long, we often don’t make it past the first page:

• a humectant
• a film former
• an important moisture booster
• a potent anti-inflammatory
• it has moisture-binding properties
• it has anti-ageing properties, plumping and smoothing
• it increases the permeability of certain ingredients

Humectant: Sodium PCA is very hygroscopic, meaning it attracts moisture from the air, imparting a moist feeling to both your hair and skin.

A naturally occurring component of human skin, sodium PCA forms about 12% of your skin’s natural moisturising factor (NMF) which consists of several components including; Amino acids, Lactic acid, Lipids and Proteins.

Together with the naturally occurring lipids in your skin, the NMF components work to keep your skin’s surface healthy, supple, and hydrated,

We know this skin-friendly humectant can effectively pass through the outer, protective layer of your skin, meaning you get good results with low concentrations at 1 to 2.5 per cent in skincare.

Moisturising: It acts as a moisture magnet. Studies have demonstrated that cosmetic preparations containing at least 2% sodium PCA significantly improve dry skin condition.

Anti-ageing: Your skin naturally contains PCA, but as you age, these levels drop quite significantly. Because it is extremely water-absorbing and can hold several times its weight in water; it can reduce the loss of moisture through evaporation, keeping your skin youthful, hydrated, and plump, so it looks more youthful.

Barrier protecting: PCA is an important component of your skin’s intracellular matrix; preventing your skin cells from losing water and drying out, whilst also protecting your all-important barrier function. It helps rebuild the intercellular glue that holds your skin cells together, which can be likened to the mortar that holds bricks together.

PCA is created through the breakdown of the protein filaggrin within corneocytes, which are the dead skin cells that make up the outermost layer of your skin – the epidermis, which serves as the protective barrier. This prevents moisture loss and reduces the effects of bacteria overgrowth and allergens. A technical topic we cover in this article.

Relieves eczema: This is a dermatologic condition characterised by inflammation within the skin tissues, resulting in erythema, irritation, and scaling.

A pilot study examining the role of anti‐inflammatories in alleviating the signs and symptoms of mild‐to‐moderate eczema, found, that when Sodium PCA. was used in combination with other barrier repairing ingredients, it significantly helped to improve irritation, inflammation, rough texture, erythema, desquamation, dryness, itching, and overall skin appearance after 2 weeks of continuous application. What’s more, overall, there was a 79% reduction in itching, and skin hydration increased by 44%.

Reduces inflammation: PCA is a great ingredient for helping to protect the delicate microflora that makes up your acid mantle, reducing inflammation and preventing surface irritation from becoming too serious.

Effective hair treatment: Sodium PCA is often used in hair care products. It is known in the industry to enhance the appearance and feel of hair, by increasing suppleness, sheen, and the body of the hair. It is also thought to improve the appearance of hair that has been damaged physically, or by drying chemical treatments.

Conclusion

As you can see, Sodium PCA is a little bit of a wonder ingredient for your skin.

It will restore an impaired barrier, prevent premature ageing, help to reduce inflammation within your skin’s tissues and relieve conditions such as eczema. It can even help moisturise your hair.

It is also non-comedogenic, and non-irritating to the eyes and skin. Studies have found, that even at concentrations of up to 50%, there is no evidence of sensitivity or toxicity that can be found.

If you have enjoyed reading all about this fascinating humectant, then join us here tomorrow, when we look at the benefits of Panthenol, another important humectant for your skin.

Research

The best ingredients to use in skincare formulations: https://botaneri.com/the-best-humectants-to-use-in-natural-skincare/
Safety assessment of sodium PCA: https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/pca.pdf
Skincare formulations: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/307863658
What is sodium PCA: https://thedermreview.com/sodium-pca/
The final assessment of sodium PCA: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/109158189901800206