Panthenol
Panthenol (pro-vitamin B5)
The quiet one. Draws water in, calms the feel of the surface, helps it hold together.
Panthenol is the form of vitamin B5 that skin absorbs and converts. It is one of the most studied ingredients in skincare and one of the least talked about, because it does nothing dramatic — it simply makes skin behave better.
It works two ways. As a humectant it attracts water into the upper skin, so the surface feels softer and less tight. And it supports the skin's own barrier, the layer that decides how much water you keep, which is why formulators reach for it in anything meant to be gentle.
In a hydrating serum it is the supporting act to hyaluronic acid: hyaluronic acid holds the water, panthenol helps the skin keep it.
The study
Randomised human trialSeven days of topical dexpanthenol, tested double-blind against its own vehicle, significantly increased hydration of the outer skin and reduced water loss through it.
Gehring W, Gloor M. Effect of topically applied dexpanthenol on epidermal barrier function and stratum corneum hydration. Results of a human in vivo study. Arzneimittelforschung, 2000;50(7):659–663. PubMed 10965426
Research on the ingredient, not a test of any FOUNDER product. Cosmetic benefits only, and skin varies. These are cosmetics, not medicine.
