VALINE

📋 Quick facts

Description: VALINE — 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:

• Valine is an essential amino acid with applications in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and skincare
• A valine-containing peptide (KPV) showed protective effects against airborne pollution damage in skin cells
• Valine derivatives can improve how drugs penetrate and absorb through skin
• Research on valine in skincare is still emerging—sources are limited and focused on specific applications

⚗️ Chemical Overview

Valine is a branched-chain amino acid that consists of glycine in which one of the hydrogens attached to the alpha-carbon is substituted by an isopropyl group. It has a role as a plant metabolite and a Daphnia magna metabolite. It is a branched-chain amino acid and an alpha-amino acid. It contains an isopropyl group. It is a conjugate base of a valinium. It is a conjugate acid of a valinate. DL-valine has been reported in Juncus effusus, Lupinus angustifolius, and other organisms with data available. Valine (abbreviated as Val or V) is an -amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCH(NH2)CH(CH3)2. It is named after the plant valerian. L-Valine is one of 20 proteinogenic amino acids. Its codons are GUU, GUC, GUA, and GUG. This essential amino acid is classified as nonpolar. Along with leucine and isoleucine, valine is a branched-chain amino acid. Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are essential amino acids whose carbon structure is marked by a branch point. These three amino acids are critical to human life and are particularly involved in stress, energy and muscle metabolism. BCAA supplementation as therapy, both oral and intravenous, in human health and disease holds great promise. BCAA denotes valine, isoleucine and leucine which are branched chain essential amino acids. Despite their structural similarities, the branched amino acids have different metabolic routes, with valine going solely to carbohydrates, leucine solely to fats and isoleucine to both. The different metabolism accounts for different requirements for these essential amino acids in humans: 12 mg/kg, 14 mg/kg and 16 mg/kg of valine, leucine and isoleucine respectively. Furthermore, these amino acids have different deficiency symptoms. Valine deficiency is marked by neurological defects in the brain, while isoleucine deficiency is marked by muscle tremors. Many types of inborn errors of BCAA metabolism exist, and are marked by various abnormalities. The most common form is the maple syrup urine disease, marked by a characteristic urinary odor. Other abnormalities are associated with a wide range of symptoms, such as mental retardation, ataxia, hypoglycemia, spinal muscle atrophy, rash, vomiting and excessive muscle movement. Most forms of BCAA metabolism errors are corrected by dietary restriction of BCAA and at least one form is correctable by supplementation with 10 mg of biotin daily. BCAA are decreased in patients with liver disease, such as hepatitis, hepatic coma, cirrhosis, extrahepatic biliary atresia or portacaval shunt; aromatic amino acids (AAA) tyrosine, tryptophan and phenylalanine, as well as methionine are increased in these conditions. Valine in particular, has been established as a useful supplemental therapy to the ailing liver. All the BCAA probably compete with AAA for absorption into the brain. Supplemental BCAA with vitamin B6 and zinc help normalize the BCAA:AAA ratio. In sickle-cell disease, valine substitutes for the hydrophilic amino acid glutamic acid in hemoglobin. Because valine is hydrophobic, the hemoglobin does not fold correctly. Valine is an essential amino acid, hence it must be ingested, usually as a component of proteins.

Source(s): Toxin and Toxin Target Database (T3DB), ChEBI, LOTUS – the natural products occurrence database, 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

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Valine is an essential amino acid, meaning your body cannot manufacture it and must obtain it from external sources like food or skincare products (Microb Cell Fact, 2021). The ingredient appears in skincare primarily in two ways: as a standalone component and as part of peptides or compound structures. #1: Pollution protection through peptide form. A peptide called KPV (Lysine-Proline-Valine), derived from a naturally occurring hormone, was tested in human skin cells exposed to fine airborne particulate matter (PM10). When applied at 50 μg/mL, KPV restored cell viability that had been damaged by pollution exposure and reduced inflammatory signaling molecules (IL-1β) (Tissue Cell, 2025).

The mechanism involved reducing harmful free radicals (ROS) and blocking cell death pathways, suggesting valine-containing peptides may help protect skin from environmental pollution damage. #2: Improved skin penetration when combined with other actives. When valine esters were chemically paired with ibuprofen (an anti-inflammatory), the resulting compounds showed significantly better absorption through skin membranes compared to ibuprofen alone in laboratory testing using porcine skin (RSC Adv, 2020). This suggests valine derivatives could act as carriers to help other skincare ingredients penetrate more effectively, though this research was done in vitro and specifically studied ibuprofen pairing. Important context: The available research on valine in consumer skincare is limited.

Source 3 studied a specific peptide containing valine in controlled laboratory conditions with skin cells, not human skin. Source 4 examined valine’s role as a chemical modifier to enhance drug delivery rather than a standalone skincare benefit. Sources 1, 2, and 5 discuss valine primarily in medical, pharmaceutical, or industrial contexts rather than cosmetic skincare applications. No sources provided data on typical concentrations used in consumer products or long-term human efficacy studies.

📄 Related Research

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

• Gao H et al. (2021). Engineering of microbial cells for L-valine production: challenges and opportunities. Microb Cell Fact.
• Kuwajima M et al. (2021). Valine metabolites analysis in ECHS1 deficiency. Mol Genet Metab Rep.
• Sung J et al. (2025). Lysine-Proline-Valine peptide mitigates fine dust-induced keratinocyte apoptosis and inflammation by regulating oxidative stress and modulating the MAPK/NF-κB pathway. Tissue Cell.
• Janus E et al. (2020). Enhancement of ibuprofen solubility and skin permeation by conjugation with l-valine alkyl esters. RSC Adv.
• Adel Ali Youssef A et al. (2024). Formulation and In Vitro-Ex vivo Evaluation of Cannabidiol and Cannabidiol-Valine-Hemisuccinate Loaded Lipid-Based Nanoformulations for Ocular Applications. Int J Pharm.

🧴 Products Containing VALINE

• BCL Kansosan Skincare Moisture Base AQ
• RETINOL RETINOL SKIN CREAM
• MyProtein Hair & body wash
• Bioélixire Odżywka do włosów zniszczonych
• Tío Nacho Tío Nacho Anti-Caida Engrosador
• marc anthony argan shampoo
• Pacifica Cosmic Hemp Balancing Face Wash
• NIOD Multi-Molecular Hyaluronic Complex (MMHC2)
• The Ordinary The Ordinary Glycolic Acid 7% Toning Solution (Solução tonificante de ácido glicólico 7%)
• ordinary suncream
• dr groot shampoo
• Paul Mitchell Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shampoo
• collagen face mask
• OPLAPLEX Leave In – Numéro 5
• Sephora Beauty insider
• Olaplex No. 8 Bond Intense Moisture Mask
• FILORGA TIME-FILLER Crème Absolue Correction Rides
• CeraVe Hydrating cream-to-foam cleanser
• Filorga Filorga Hydra Filler 50ML
• CeraVe Hyrdrating Cream To Foam Cleanser
• Davines Davines MOMO Moisturizing Shampoo
• Moroccan oil body lotion
• Atomy Atomy absolute BB no.23 spf 50
• Essano expertise 02 Volumising Conditioner
• Asianic Hair Conditioner
• averac caviar
• The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA
• sirius groom shampoo
• Dm Leichtkämm spray