Ammonium Lactate

Ammonium Lactate is an ammonium salt of lactic acid used in food processing, pharmacology, and skin and hair care applications. This food-grade ingredient is valued for its humectant and skin-conditioning effects and is used as an anionic surfactant.

Like its ancestor, L-lactic acid, Ammonium Lactate acts as a natural moisturizing factor (NMF), providing optimal water content, boosting moisture retention, and smoothing fine lines and wrinkles. It is especially crucial in wintertime or when the NMF production in the skin is insufficient, especially under a long-term air conditioner.

Acting as a buffer, it balances the formulation's pH, which is especially important for acidic products with high concentrations of AHAs and BHAs. Improving and modulating the barrier function accentuates the skin’s natural exfoliation and increases the number of laminar bodies and their secretion. It also stimulates the synthesis of the ceramides in the cornea layer, increasing resistance to xerosis. In addition, Ammonium Lactate is a perfect remedy used by dermatologists to treat skin conditions like xerosis and ichthyosis and relieve itching.

Thanks to its keratolytic action, Ammonium Lactate decreases corneocyte cohesion, facilitating skin exfoliation and accelerating cellular replacement. It activates cytokines, increasing epidermal thickness and dermal glycosaminoglycan quantity, which may be useful in mitigating the side effects of steroids on the skin.

Remarkably lessening observable skin dryness, Ammonium Lactate conditions skin while reducing roughness, desquamation, and flaking. After the preparation is applied, it leaves the skin smoother-looking, healthier, and radiant. A study performed on ammonium lactate 12% verified that it prevented epidermal and dermal atrophy without influencing either the bioavailability or the anti-inflammatory properties of steroids.