Humectant

Humectants are one of the primary building blocks of hair and skin care cosmetic formulations. Humectants are materials that are hygroscopic and are capable of retaining moisture over a wide relative humidity range.

In cosmetics they play an important role in hydrating the skin and hair, making them feel softer, enhancing suppleness, flexibility, and stretchability. They help to alleviate the drying conditions which threaten the appearance and well-being of the skin and hair caused by the environment.

Simply put, humectants have the ability to bind water to their molecules and want to do this to achieve a stable free energy state. Consequently, they are always very soluble in water.