Panthenol

Aliases

• Dexpanthenol
• D-Panthenol
• DL-Panthenol
• Pantothenol
• Provitamin B5 / Pro-Vitamin B5
• D-Pantothenyl alcohol
• (R)-2,4-Dihydroxy-N-(3-hydroxypropyl)-3,3-dimethylbutanamide

Inci name

Panthenol (INCI/CosIng listed name). Commercial material is usually the DL-racemate ("DL-Panthenol", CAS 16485-10-2) or the pure D-enantiomer ("D-Panthenol"/dexpanthenol, CAS 81-13-0); CIR's assessment covers both under the INCI term Panthenol.

Formula context

Water- and glycol-soluble (propylene glycol, glycerin, ethanol); typically added to the aqueous phase of leave-on skin creams/lotions/serums, after-sun and sunburn/wound-care preparations, and rinse-off/leave-on hair products (shampoo, conditioner, styling). Reported stable over roughly pH 4-8, with best long-term stability in the mildly acidic-to-neutral range (secondary-media formulation guidance, BLi-T and BASF technical literature - not independently verified against a primary analytical source in this session). Has poor solubility in anhydrous oil phases.

Functional roles

• Hair conditioning agent (CIR 2022 safety assessment)
• Skin conditioning agent - humectant (CIR 2022)
• Solvent (CIR 2022, minor listed function)
• Antistatic (per CosIng/COSMILE Europe function listing, not independently confirmed on the official EC CosIng page in this session)
• Skin conditioning agent (per CosIng/COSMILE Europe listing)

Safety references

• Scott LN, Fiume M, Bergfeld WF, et al. "Safety Assessment of Panthenol, Pantothenic Acid, and Derivatives as Used in Cosmetics," Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel, 2022 - concluded panthenol and 6 related derivatives are safe in cosmetics at present practices/concentrations of use, with low potential for systemic toxicity at high doses. (cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/panthenol.pdf; also published in International Journal of Toxicology, DOI via journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/10915818221124809)
• CIR ingredient summary page, cir-safety.org/ingredient/panthenol - restates panel conclusion and functional classification.
• EU CosIng / COSMILE Europe regulatory ingredient listing - lists Panthenol's approved cosmetic functions (antistatic, hair conditioning, skin conditioning); the official EC CosIng record itself was not directly fetched this session (WebFetch unavailable), so this is sourced via the COSMILE Europe mirror, a secondary industry database, not the primary EC tool.

Compatible systems

• Anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactant systems (shampoos, conditioners) - widely formulated together per industry technical literature (secondary-media, not primary-verified compatibility data).
• Aqueous and hydroalcoholic (water/ethanol/propylene glycol) systems.
• Typical cosmetic preservative and chelator systems, e.g. phenoxyethanol-type preservatives and EDTA-type chelators, cited in formulation guidance (secondary-media, BLi-T).

Conflicting systems

• Strongly alkaline (high-pH) formulations - reported to accelerate hydrolytic degradation of panthenol (secondary-media formulation guidance; a ScienceDirect comparative-stability study abstract was seen via search snippet but not fully fetched, so treat as partially verified).
• Strong oxidizing systems - reported to degrade panthenol, though it is described as comparatively oxidation-stable versus pantothenic acid (same caveat: secondary-media sourcing).
• Anhydrous, oil-only phases - poor solubility limits direct incorporation without a solubilizing/aqueous carrier.

Concentration evidence

• Leave-on cosmetics: used up to 5.3% (highest reported in body/hand products), per 2017 FDA Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program (VCRP) data as cited in CIR's 2022 Safety Assessment of Panthenol, Pantothenic Acid, and Derivatives.
• Rinse-off cosmetics: used up to 5%, per the same 2017 FDA VCRP data cited in the CIR 2022 assessment.
• Shampoos/conditioners: commonly formulated at 0.1-1% (secondary-media sources - SpecialChem, CriticalCatalyst - not a primary VCRP breakdown by product subtype; treat as industry-typical range, not a regulatory ceiling).
• Topical creams/lotions: commonly formulated at 1-5% (secondary-media sources; same caveat as above).
• OTC skin-protectant use (e.g., FDA Monograph M016 scope) is referenced in the search results as a regulated category, but the specific dexpanthenol percentage allowance was NOT confirmed against the monograph text in this session - flagged as not verified rather than invented.
• No single authoritative table unifying all product-subtype concentrations was directly retrieved (WebFetch access was unavailable this session); the CIR PDF's FDA-VCRP-sourced 5.3%/5% figures are the only primary-chain numbers confirmed via directly quoted source content in the search tool's extract.

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