So
Sorbitol
SorbitolHydrator
A sugar alcohol that draws in moisture — common in lip balms, hand creams and gentle cleansers.
What it does
It’s a sugar alcohol that draws moisture into skin. It hasn’t been compared with glycerin.
The evidence, graded
expert consensusUS safety reviewers looked at sorbitol together with two other sugar alcohols and judged all three safe at the amounts and in the ways cosmetics use them. In cosmetics the group draws in water, conditions skin or adds flavor.Cherian 2025 · International journal of toxicology ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Pairs worth knowing
Browse all 1238 ingredients — grouped by what they do, each with whatever evidence we can cite.
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