Thiamine monochloride or Vitamin B₁ or Thiamine is synthesised by plants, bacteria, fungi and multicellular living organisms. The human body cannot synthesise this vitamin and must take it from food.

Industrially it appears in the form of a white powder, is soluble in water and is characterised by a sharp odour.

It is found in bran, cereal products, potatoes, rice and vegetables.

What it is used for and where

Cosmetics

Fragrance. It plays a very important role in the formulation of cosmetic products as it allows perfume to be enhanced, masked or added to the final product, improving its commercial viability.  The consumer always expects to find a pleasant scent in a cosmetic product.

Skin conditioning agent - Miscellaneous.  This ingredient has the task of modifying the condition of the skin when it is damaged or dry by reducing its flakiness and restoring its elasticity.

Medical

It has the function of burning sugar. Those who use sugar and alcohol excessively suffer from a deficiency of this vitamin (1).

Many studies have focused on the possibility of its metabolic benefits on diabetes mellitus (2).

It is used to treat a disease of the nerve endings called Beri Beri.

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

Vitamin B1 studies

• Molecular Formula: C₁₂H₁₇N₄OS+
• Empirical Formula (Hill Notation): C₁₂H₁₇ClN₄OS · HCl
• Molecular Weight: 265.355 g/mol
• CAS: 70-16-6  59-43-8   67-03-8
• EC Number: 200-425-3
• UNII: 4ABT0J945J
• PubChem Substance ID 24871525
• MDL number: MFCD00012780
• Beilstein Registry Number: 3851771
  
  Synonyms:
• vitamin B1
• thiamin
• Thiamine hydrochloride
• Vitamin B1 hydrochloride
• Aneurine hydrochloride
• 3-[(4-amino-2-methylpyrimidin-5-yl)methyl]-5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-1,3-thiazol-3-ium
• Thiamine monohydrochloride
• Vitamin B1 hydrochloride (VAN)
• Thiamine, chloride, hydrochloride
• 2-[3-[(4-amino-2-methyl-pyrimidin-5-yl)methyl]-4-methyl-thiazol-3-ium-5-yl]ethanol
• Thiamin hydrochloride

References_____________________________________________________________________
(1) Sutherland GT, Sheedy D, Kril JJ. Neuropathology of alcoholism. Handb Clin Neurol. 2014;125:603-15. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-444-62619-6.00035-5.

(2) Al-Attas O, Al-Daghri N, Alokail M, Abd-Alrahman S, Vinodson B, Sabico S. Metabolic Benefits of Six-month Thiamine Supplementation in Patients With and Without Diabetes Mellitus Type 2.
Clin Med Insights Endocrinol Diabetes. 2014 Jan 23;7:1-6. doi: 10.4137/CMED.S13573. eCollection 2014.

Other studies

Nacitarhan C, Minareci E, Sadan G. The effect of benfotiamine on mu-opioid receptor mediated antinociception in experimental diabetes.   Exp Clin Endocrinol Diabetes. 2014 Mar;122(3):173-8. doi: 10.1055/s-0033-1363977. 

Alaei Shahmiri F, Soares MJ, Zhao Y, Sherriff J.  High-dose thiamine supplementation improves glucose tolerance in hyperglycemic individuals: a randomized, double-blind cross-over trial.
 Eur J Nutr. 2013 Oct;52(7):1821-4. doi: 10.1007/s00394-013-0534-6.