GLUCONOLACTONE

📋 Quick facts

Description: GLUCONOLACTONE — PHA exfoliant, gentle, also functions as antioxidant/humectant.

All Functions: PHA exfoliant, gentle, also functions as antioxidant/humectant

Quick Facts:

• Category: active

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Gluconolactone is a humectant — a water-binding ingredient used in skincare products
• Research shows it can increase skin hydration and decrease sebum and TEWL (water loss) when used in chemical peels
• A 10% gluconolactone chemical peel combined with other treatments improved skin hydration in a small study
• A 5% gluconolactone serum showed modest improvements in redness and skin tone in people with mild erythema (rosacea)
• Early research in mice and lupus patients suggests gluconolactone may have immune-regulating properties, but human skincare evidence is limited

⚗️ Chemical Overview

Aldono-1,5-lactone is an aldonolactone obtained by formal oxidation of the anomeric position of any aldopyranose. It is a delta-lactone and an aldonolactone. See also: delta-Gluconolactone (annotation moved to).

Source(s): ChEBI, PubChem, via PubChem

📊 Comedogenicity

🛡️ Safety rating

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

Derived from this ingredient’s irritancy potential and comedogenicity rating against the needs of each skin type — e.g. oily and acne-prone skin are marked down for pore-clogging ingredients, sensitive skin for irritants. A starting heuristic, not a dermatological verdict.

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Gluconolactone is increasingly used in cosmetic formulations, particularly as a humectant — meaning it draws water into the skin. One analysis notes that gluconolactone has “remarkable water-binding properties” (Int J Cosmet Sci, 2025), though the same source is primarily focused on how to measure and verify the ingredient in products rather than its skincare effects. #1: Skin hydration and barrier function. In a study of 21 women, a 10% gluconolactone chemical peel applied to the entire face, combined with either oxybrasion or microneedle treatments, increased skin hydration and decreased sebum, pH, and TEWL (transepidermal water loss — a measure of how much water evaporates from the skin) after three treatments over three weeks (Skin Res Technol, 2023).

The researchers concluded that “combining chemical peeling of gluconolactone with oxybrasion and microneedle mesotherapy is a good method to seal the hydrolipid barrier and increase skin hydration.” However, this study involved combination treatments, so the isolated effect of gluconolactone alone is unclear. #2: Redness and overall appearance in mild erythema. A larger study of 200 people with mild erythema (persistent facial redness, as seen in rosacea) compared a 5% gluconolactone serum used for 30 days against a single IPL (intense pulsed light) treatment. Both groups showed improvement in redness, overall facial condition, and skin physiology. Pore appearance and skin tone improved comparably between the serum and IPL groups, but IPL was significantly more effective at reducing erythema and sebum overall (J Cosmet Dermatol, 2025).

The gluconolactone serum still provided measurable benefit, particularly for pore and skin tone. #3: Immune and inflammatory activity (limited human evidence). A 2025 study in *Science Translational Medicine* found that gluconolactone enhances immune regulation in mice and in cells from lupus patients in laboratory settings. Most remarkably, a topical gluconolactone-containing cream applied to skin lesions in patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus “controlled skin inflammation and improved the clinical and histologic appearance of the skin lesions within 2 weeks” (Sci Transl Med, 2025). However, this report lacks detail on the cream’s formulation, patient numbers, and whether improvements continued beyond two weeks.

This represents early-stage human evidence rather than a fully established skincare benefit. Overall, the strongest consumer-facing skincare evidence supports gluconolactone’s role as a hydrating ingredient in chemical peels and serums. Claims about immune regulation and anti-inflammatory effects in routine skincare remain preliminary and based on limited human data.

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Li W et al. (2025). Gluconolactone restores immune regulation and alleviates skin inflammation in lupus-prone mice and in patients with cutaneous lupus. Sci Transl Med.
• Jarząbek-Perz S et al. (2023). Split-face evaluation: Gluconolactone plus oxybrasion versus gluconolactone plus microneedling. The effects on skin parameters. Skin Res Technol.
• Shetty S et al. (2025). Simultaneous determination of sodium hyaluronate and gluconolactone in cosmetic products. Int J Cosmet Sci.
• Peng Y et al. (2025). Comparison of Efficacy and Willingness to a 5% Gluconolactone-Based Topical Serum and Intense Pulsed Light in Mild Erythema of Rosacea: A Paired Control Study. J Cosmet Dermatol.
• Kaczmarek-Szczepańska B et al. (2024). Bioactivation of Konjac Glucomannan Films by Tannic Acid and Gluconolactone Addition. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces.

🧴 Products Containing GLUCONOLACTONE

• Cien Cien cream soap Milk&Honey
• Hair System by Watsons Micellar Botanical Purifying Shampoo
• Leo Bancroft Blissfully Bouncy Volumising Conditioner
• Tiger Moon Retinol Night Cream
• L’Oréal, L’Oreal Luxe, The Body Shop ginger scalp serum
• GHD GHD HEART PROTECT SPRAY
• LoveBar Shampoo Bar Detox & Sebum control
• Unilever, Dove Shampoo ritual de crecimiento
• Chors Lingettes
• Hair System by Watsons Micellar Botanical Purifying Conditioner
• Cosmia Bain moussant camomille et miel
• Cosmia Rituel Soin Éclat
• Cien crema solar
• Carrefour Baby Gel champú para pieles tendencia atópica my baby
• Acofarma Vivera, jabón de manos aceite de almendras dulces y miel
• Deliplus Gel corporal infantil
• Unilever, Timotei Masque Réparation Miraculeuse – Timotei
• Unilever, Timotei Timotei Nutrition Intense Shampoing Femme à l’Huile d’Avocat 100% d’origine naturelle Cheveux Secs Lot de 6x300ml
• Unilever, Timotei Timotei sh nrst 300ml
• Unilever, Timotei Timotei Bio Après-Shampooing Femme Éclat Cheveux colorés Grenade & Karité 250ml
• Unilever, Timotei Timotei Richesse Suprême Après Shampoing Femme Enrichie à l’Huile de Buriti Cheveux Très Secs
• UNILEVER NORGE AS Dove Shampoo Restoring Ritual 250ml
• UNILEVER NORGE AS Dove Balsam Restoring Ritual 200ml
• UNILEVER NORGE AS Dove Shampoo Glowing Ritual 250ml
• Unilever, Dove Dove Shampoing Blond Nutrition
• Unilever, Dove Oil Care Nährpflege
• Monoprix, Monoprix Bio Lait démaquillant Monoprix Bio
• Unilever, Timotei Couleur Eclat
• Unilever, Timotei Tonus Brillance Shine Recharge Shampooing
• Unilever, Timotei Timotei 2en1 Shampooing Femme Douceur Huille d’Amande Douce Cheveux Normaux
• Unilever, Timotei Timotei Brun Intense Après Shampoing Enrichie à l’Extrait de Henné Cheveux Bruns
• Unilever, Timotei Timotei Shampoing à l’Huile d’Argan Bio Cheveux très Abimés
• Unilever, Timotei Timotei Après Shampoing à l’Huile d’Argan Bio Cheveux Abîmés
• Unilever, Timotei Après-shampooing Blond lumière
• Unilever, Dove Advanced Hair Series Pure Care Sublime Oil
• Unilever, Dove Dove Glowing Après Shampoing Lotus Rose
• Biobellus Hydrating face mist, hyaluronic
• TRESemmé Keratin Repair Bond Plex Conditioner
• Peter Schmidinger Peter Schmidinger 5in1 High-Intense micro powder cleanser
• douglas seathalasso