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Saccharide Isomerate

B
lead outcome
Long-lasting hydration (appearance & feel)
grades vary by outcome ↓
Polysaccharide
also called — INCI: Saccharide Isomerate · Pentavitin · Waterin · carbohydrate complex · NMF-mimicking humectant
skin appearance (cosmetic)hydrationhumectantskin-identical (NMF-mimicking)soothing (appearance)
In brief

Saccharide Isomerate, best known by the trade name Pentavitin, is a plant-derived sugar complex engineered to look like the skin's own Natural Moisturizing Factor, the built-in hydration system that ordinary washing strips away. Its clever trick is substantivity: instead of sitting on top and evaporating like most humectants, its sugars bind to keratin in the skin surface, so it is reported to keep skin hydrated for up to 72 hours after a single application and to resist being washed off. That durable, skin-identical hydration is its genuine strength, backed by clinical work including a 1% cream study. The honest scope line is that a large share of the supporting data comes from the ingredient's manufacturer and formulators rather than independent trials, and the headline "72 hours" is a best-case single-application figure. Read it as an unusually long-lasting, gentle, well-tolerated humectant that mimics the skin's own moisture system, with softer secondary claims around barrier support and soothing.

Legal standing, by region
International
Lawful cosmetic ingredient

Saccharide Isomerate (INCI: Saccharide Isomerate) is a lawful cosmetic ingredient worldwide, including the EU (Regulation (EC) 1223/2009); CosIng-listed. Plant-derived; commercial forms (e.g. Pentavitin) are COSMOS- and NATRUE-approved. No documented pregnancy concern for cosmetic topical use.

Evidence, by outcome
How we grade →

An honest grade per outcome — drawn from the evidence, not any catalogue. Hype and undemonstrated marketing claims grade low.

OutcomeEvidence base · effectGrade
Long-lasting hydration (appearance & feel)
"Up to 72 hours" is a best-case single-application figure from supplier studies; real-world duration varies with formula, concentration and skin.
Saccharide Isomerate (best known by the trade name Pentavitin) is a plant-derived carbohydrate complex built to resemble the sugars in the skin's own Natural Moisturizing Factor. Its distinctive feature is substantivity: the sugars bind to keratin in the stratum corneum, so unlike ordinary humectants that rinse off or evaporate within hours, it is reported to sustain hydration for up to 72 hours after a single application, coming off mainly through natural skin shedding. Clinical work, including a 1% cream study, supports a real, measurable and unusually durable hydration effect. The grade sits at B rather than A because much of the supporting data comes from the ingredient's manufacturer and formulators rather than independent peer-reviewed trials. · Skin that stays hydrated, plump and comfortable for far longer than usual between applications, holding up better through washing
B
Barrier & moisture-retention support (appearance & feel)
Support for moisture retention, not medical barrier repair; strongest as a humectant, with barrier benefits following from that.
Because it mimics the skin's own moisturizing factor and binds to the surface, saccharide isomerate is described as supporting the skin's moisture barrier and reducing water loss, with some reports of reduced TEWL over a couple of weeks. This barrier-support role is plausibly downstream of its durable surface hydration but is less independently established than the core hydration claim. · Skin that feels more resilient and less prone to dryness, tightness and flaking over continued use
C
Soothing on dry / sensitive skin (appearance)
Appearance and comfort only; not an anti-inflammatory.
Saccharide isomerate is reported to have soothing, anti-irritant qualities on the appearance of dry or sensitive skin, and is described as helping calm the look of irritation, including from acid (AHA) products. Cosmetic-outcome evidence here is modest and largely formulator-reported. · A calmer, more comfortable-looking complexion on reactive, dry skin
C
Safety (topical)
No notable topical safety concerns in normal cosmetic use.
A plant-derived, skin-identical carbohydrate complex, saccharide isomerate is very well tolerated and gentle, suited to sensitive and dry skin. It is widely used and COSMOS/NATRUE-listed in its common commercial form. · Suitable across skin types, including sensitive and dry skin
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Disclosure

Vallydia sells its own cosmetic serums, and some ingredients graded here belong to the same categories as those products. Grades are drawn from the published evidence by the method we publish, and applied to our own ingredients on the same terms — our copper-peptide serum is graded no more kindly than the peptides it competes with. We disclose the interest so you can weigh it.

Trade names shown here (for example Matrixyl, Argireline, Syn-Ake) are the property of their respective owners and are used only to identify the ingredient under discussion. Their appearance implies no affiliation with, or endorsement by, the proprietor.

Evidence changes

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Cosmetic claims boundary
✓ Allowed (appearance / feel)
  • provides long-lasting hydration that resists washing off
  • mimics the skin's own natural moisturizing factor
  • helps skin look plump, smooth and comfortably hydrated
  • supports the skin's moisture retention
  • gentle and well tolerated, suitable for sensitive and dry skin
✕ Not allowed (medicinal)
  • repairs the skin barrier (medical sense)
  • treats any skin condition
  • anti-inflammatory
  • guarantees exactly 72 hours of hydration for everyone
  • penetrates to hydrate deep or living skin layers

The medicinal-sounding science stays in the reference section; product copy speaks only to appearance/feel (Reg 655/2013). Different fields, never merged.

Identity

Saccharide Isomerate is a plant-derived carbohydrate complex designed to resemble the sugars in the skin's Natural Moisturizing Factor (NMF) — the mixture of water-loving compounds the skin uses to hold moisture in its outer layer. It is far better known by its main trade name, Pentavitin (also sold as Waterin), and is produced by isomerising plant-derived glucose into a skin-identical blend of sugars.

Its defining quality is substantivity: it does not just sit on the surface, it binds to the skin.

Development & history

  • Saccharide isomerate was developed as a long-lasting humectant to solve a specific problem: the skin's own NMF is easily washed away by water, soap and cleansers, leaving skin dry and tight.
  • By mimicking the NMF and binding to keratin, it was positioned as a humectant that stays put far longer than glycerin-type ingredients, which typically act for only hours.
  • Its evidence and marketing are closely tied to the branded ingredient (Pentavitin), which carries COSMOS and NATRUE natural-certification and a body of supplier-run clinical testing.

Mechanism (as proposed)

Saccharide isomerate is proposed to work as a skin-identical, substantive humectant.

Like other humectants, its sugars attract and bind water. What sets it apart is how it attaches to the skin: its sugars bind to the free amino groups of keratin proteins in the cornified surface (described as a Maillard-type interaction), giving it a strong affinity for the stratum corneum. Because it is anchored this way, it is not readily rinsed off; it is proposed to leave the skin mainly through natural desquamation (the normal shedding of surface cells). This is the basis of the signature claim that a single application can keep skin hydrated for up to 72 hours, acting as a durable, refillable moisture reservoir at the surface.

The honest framing has two parts. First, the durable-hydration effect is real and genuinely distinctive among humectants, but the bulk of the supporting evidence is manufacturer- and formulator-generated rather than independent peer-reviewed research, and "up to 72 hours" is a best-case single-application headline. Second, this is fundamentally a surface humectant story: it hydrates and holds water at the stratum corneum, and the softer claims about barrier support and soothing follow from good surface hydration rather than from any deep or treatment-level action. Read honestly, it is an unusually long-lasting, gentle, skin-identical humectant, not a barrier-repair or treatment ingredient.

Related reading

  • Hyaluronic acid and glycerin — the classic humectants saccharide isomerate is designed to outlast on the skin.
  • Trehalose — another skin-friendly sugar humectant with a protective, water-binding character.
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Sources — 2 cited
01Manufacturer and formulator clinical summaries for Pentavitin (Saccharide Isomerate): single-application 72-hour hydration and ~2-week TEWL reduction (DSM/supplier technical dossiers).
02Hong JY, Kwon D, Park KY. Microbiome-Based Interventions for Skin Aging and Barrier Function: A Comprehensive Review. Annals of Dermatology. 2025; 37(5):259-268. doi:10.5021/ad.25.009
Updated 2026-08-18

Grades reflect the published evidence, not our interest. No dosing, reconstitution, or administration is published for research compounds — that restraint is deliberate.

Related compounds
Hyaluronic Acid (Sodium Hyaluronate)A
Polysaccharide
GlycerinA
Small molecule (non-peptide)
TrehaloseB
Polysaccharide
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This site provides neutral scientific reference and sells only products lawful in your region. Nothing here is medical advice, a recommendation, or an offer to supply unapproved medicines. No dosing or administration is published for research compounds. Cosmetic peptides per Regulation (EC) 1223/2009. Unapproved injectable peptides are neither sold nor advertised in the EU (Directive 2001/83/EC, Title VIII). © 2026 Vallydia.