HISTIDINE

📋 Quick facts

Description: HISTIDINE — amino acid, part of the skin natural moisturizing factor (NMF).

All Functions: amino acid, part of the skin natural moisturizing factor (NMF)

Quick Facts:

• Category: humectant

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Histidine is an essential amino acid your body cannot make on its own—you need to get it from food
• Your skin converts histidine into a natural moisturizing factor that helps maintain the skin barrier
• In clinical studies, oral histidine supplementation reduced atopic dermatitis severity in both adults and children
• Histidine is a building block for carnosine, a compound in muscle and brain that may act as a buffer and antioxidant
• When exposed to UV light, histidine-derived compounds in your skin play a protective role

⚗️ Chemical Overview

Histidine is an alpha-amino acid that is propanoic acid bearing an amino substituent at position 2 and a 1H-imidazol-4-yl group at position 3. It has a role as a metabolite. It is a member of imidazoles, a polar amino acid, an alpha-amino acid and an aromatic amino acid. It contains a 1H-imidazol-4-ylmethyl group. It is a conjugate base of a histidinium(1+). It is a conjugate acid of a histidinate(1-). DL-histidine has been reported in Trifolium repens, Trifolium pratense, and Caenorhabditis elegans with data available. See also: L-Histidine (annotation moved to); Polyhistidine (annotation moved to).

Source(s): ChEBI, LOTUS – the natural products occurrence database, 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.

⚠️ Allergen Warning

HISTIDINE is listed as an EU-recognized allergen (contact) and must be disclosed on product labels above the required threshold concentration.

🌍 Regulatory Status

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Histidine is classified as an essential amino acid because humans cannot synthesize it—we must obtain it through diet (J Nutr, 2020). The WHO and FAO recommend a daily intake of 10 mg per kilogram of body weight for adults. #1: Skin barrier support. Histidine gets rapidly incorporated into a skin protein called filaggrin. When filaggrin breaks down naturally, it releases histidine, which functions as a “natural moisturizing factor” (NMF) that helps keep skin hydrated and maintain barrier integrity (J Nutr, 2020). This mechanism is thought to be particularly relevant for atopic dermatitis (AD), a chronic inflammatory skin condition. #2: Atopic dermatitis research findings.

A placebo-controlled clinical pilot study of 24 adults with AD found that 4 grams of oral histidine daily reduced symptom severity (measured by SCORAD scores) by 34% after 4 weeks, compared to placebo (P < 0.003). A separate study of 49 young children (average age 3.5 years) taking 0.8 grams daily showed a 49% reduction in eczema severity scores at 12 weeks (P < 0.02), with no effect in the placebo group (J Nutr, 2020). Both studies reported good tolerability with no adverse events causally linked to histidine supplementation. #3: Muscle and brain function. Histidine serves as a precursor for carnosine, a compound synthesized in human muscle tissue and certain brain regions.

Carnosine is believed to function as both a buffer and an antioxidant, though the research abstracts do not detail specific benefits in consumer terms (J Nutr, 2020). #4: UV protection pathway. When histidine is broken down in the liver and skin, it can be converted to trans-urocanate. Critically, when skin is exposed to UV light, this compound is converted to cis-urocanate, which plays an important protective role in skin—though the abstracts do not specify the exact nature of this protection (J Nutr, 2020). #5: Enzyme function. Histidine is required for the synthesis of proteins and plays particularly important roles in the active sites of enzymes, such as serine proteases like trypsin, where it is part of the catalytic machinery that allows these enzymes to function (J Nutr, 2020).

Limitations: The clinical AD studies are described as “pilot” studies with relatively small sample sizes (24–49 participants). While results are promising, larger and longer-term studies would be needed to establish histidine as a standard treatment. The sources do not provide information about optimal dosing for general skincare use or effects in people without AD.

📄 Related Research

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

• Brosnan ME et al. (2020). Histidine Metabolism and Function. J Nutr.
• Reaven EP et al. (1965). Histidine and keratinization. J Invest Dermatol.
• Gibbs NK (2020). l-Histidine Supplementation in Adults and Young Children with Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema). J Nutr.
• Jeong H et al. (2020). Caffeoyl-Prolyl-Histidine Amide Inhibits Fyn and Alleviates Atopic Dermatitis-Like Phenotypes via Suppression of NF-κB Activation. Int J Mol Sci.
• Zanesi N et al. (2001). Fragile histidine triad gene and skin cancer. Eur J Dermatol.

🧴 Products Containing HISTIDINE

• AgeDefy, P&G, Pantène, Pantène Pro-V, Pantène Pro-V Expert, Pantène Pro-V Expert Collection, Procter & Gamble AgeDefy Shampooing
• AgeDefy, P&G, Pantène, Pantène Pro-V, Pantène Pro-V Expert Collection, Pantène Pro-V expert, Procter & Gamble AgeDefy soin après-shampoing
• Wella Ultimate Repair Mask
• BCL Kansosan Skincare Moisture Base AQ
• RETINOL RETINOL SKIN CREAM
• MyProtein Hair & body wash
• Procter & Gamble Norge AS Hårkur 3 minute Miracle 225 ml
• Bioélixire Odżywka do włosów zniszczonych
• Pantene Pro-V Hair Superfood Conditioner
• Shampoo
• hair biology Revitalize & Soothe
• Pantene Mascarilla suave y liso
• Pantene Ampollas tratamiento intensivo Repara & Protege
• Pantene Champú Purificante Nutri Pro-V
• Herbal Essences
• Pantene daily moisture shampoo
• Tío Nacho Tío Nacho Anti-Caida Engrosador
• moisture therapy lip balm
• King.C. Gillette beard & face wash
• coconut scent shampoo
• Panthene Rigenera e protegge
• Eucerin Eucerin, Roughness Relief Lotion, Fragrance Free
• Eucerin
• pantene essential botanicals volumizing shampoo
• pantene shampoo
• Pantene PRO-V Daily Moisture Renewal 2 in 1 Shampoo + Conditioner
• Pantene Daily Moisture Shampoo
• pantene
• Pantene Daily Moisture Conditioner
• pantrne classic clean shampoo and conditioner
• Pantene Repair & Protect
• Shampoo herbal essences
• Herbal Essences Acondicionador Argan Oil of Morocco
• herbal essences
• Herbal Essence Grapefruit Volume Shampoo
• herbal essence honey vitamin e
• marc anthony argan shampoo
• Pantene Pantene Active Nutri-Plex Smooth & Sleek Conditioner|Balsam Rinse Off or Leave-On
• Pacifica Cosmic Hemp Balancing Face Wash
• Eucerin UreaRepair PLUS 10%