Soy Amino Acids is a mixture of amino acids derived from the complete hydrolysis of soy protein contained in soya beans. Its composition includes: Glutamic acid, Aspartic acid, Arginine, Leucine, Lysine, Phenylalanine, Serine.

It appears as an amber-coloured liquid.

What it is used for and where

Cosmetics

A naturally occurring chemical compound that acts as a conditioning agent for both hair and skin. Soy amino acids are well absorbed by the human body and have strong gelling properties that, in turn, enhance its foaming and emulsifying activities.

Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment as it has the function of restoring, increasing or improving skin tolerance to external factors, including melanocyte tolerance. The most important function of the conditioning agent is to prevent skin dehydration, but the subject is rather complex and involves emollients and humectants that can be added in the formulation.

Hair conditioning agent. A significant number of ingredients with specific and targeted purposes may co-exist in hair shampoo formulations: cleansers, conditioners, thickeners, matting agents, sequestering agents, fragrances, preservatives, special additives. However, the indispensable ingredients are the cleansers and conditioners as they are necessary and sufficient for hair cleansing and manageability. The others act as commercial and non-essential auxiliaries such as: appearance, fragrance, colouring, etc. Hair conditioning agents have the task of increasing shine, manageability and volume, and reducing static electricity, especially after treatments such as colouring, ironing, waving, drying and brushing. They are, in practice, dispersants that may contain cationic surfactants, thickeners, emollients, polymers. The typology of hair conditioning agents includes: intensive conditioners, instant conditioners, thickening conditioners, drying conditioners. They can perform their task generally accompanied by other different ingredients.

Medical

Many studies have found that soy protein has the property of reducing LDL-cholesterol, modifying HDL-cholesterol and total cholesterol, although the mechanisms behind this are still unclear. For example, soy protein isolate with isoflavones only slightly reduces total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (1). Furthermore, it is believed that they may minimise the risk of coronary heart disease, thereby also contributing to a reduction in obesity. It is widely believed and established in the scientific literature that soy amino acids can lower the activity of androgen hormones that are produced by the adrenal glands (androstenedione, testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone, androsterone) (2). Soya amino acids also have the positive characteristic of better and faster digestibility than milk amino acids, they are more rapidly directed to liver proteins and deamination procedures and are therefore well absorbed by the body. 

In addition to the cholesterolaemic-lowering effect, the protein components of soya, which consist of beta-conglycinin and glycinin, have a high nutritional content. 

CAS     65072-01-7

Typical commercial product characteristics

The most relevant studies on this ingredient have been selected with a summary of their contents:

"Soy amino acids studies"

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Blachier, F., Lancha, A. H., Boutry, C., & Tomé, D. (2010). Alimentary proteins, amino acids and cholesterolemia. Amino Acids, 38(1), 15-22

(2) Zhao, J. V., Kwok, M. K., & Schooling, C. M. (2018). Effect of glutamate and aspartate on ischaemic heart disease, blood pressure, and diabetes: a Mendelian randomisation study. The Lancet, 392, S23.