Aluminum PCA is a salt formed by combining aluminum with pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA), a derivative of the amino acid proline. This ingredient is commonly used in personal care and cosmetic products for its antiperspirant, moisturizing, and skin-conditioning properties. Aluminum PCA helps control sweat and odor while maintaining the skin’s hydration, making it a popular choice in deodorants, antiperspirants, and skincare formulations for oily or acne-prone skin.

Chemical Composition and Structure
Aluminum PCA is a compound where aluminum ions are bonded with PCA, an amino acid derivative known for its moisturizing and skin-conditioning properties. PCA is a naturally occurring substance in the skin that plays a role in maintaining hydration, while aluminum ions are responsible for reducing sweat and controlling odor. The combination provides both antiperspirant and skin-conditioning benefits.

Physical Properties
Aluminum PCA typically appears as a white powder or crystalline solid that is water-soluble, making it easy to incorporate into a variety of formulations. It is stable under normal conditions and helps reduce sweat production by forming a temporary plug in sweat ducts, while the PCA component helps condition and hydrate the skin.

Production Process
The production of Aluminum PCA involves the reaction of aluminum salts with pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA). The resulting compound is purified and dried to produce a high-quality ingredient suitable for use in personal care and cosmetic products.

Applications

• Antiperspirants and Deodorants: Aluminum PCA is primarily used in deodorants and antiperspirants for its ability to reduce sweat and control odor while maintaining the skin’s hydration, making it less harsh than traditional aluminum-based antiperspirants.

• Skincare for Oily and Acne-Prone Skin: Due to its moisture-binding properties, it is also found in skincare products for oily and acne-prone skin, where it helps balance hydration and reduce excess oil.

• Moisturizers: In some skincare formulations, Aluminum PCA is used for its hydrating and skin-conditioning properties, as PCA is a natural moisturizing factor that helps maintain skin hydration.

• Haircare Products: It may also be used in haircare products for its ability to help regulate moisture and improve the condition of the scalp.

Cosmetics

Cosmetic astringent. This ingredient exerts a direct effect on the skin by tightening dilated pores by contracting stratum corneum cells and removing superfluous oil.

Skin conditioning agent. It is the mainstay of topical skin treatment by 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.

EC number 261-931-8

CAS: 59792-81-3

Safety

Careful consideration should be given to the risk of cumulative aluminum intake, which cannot be ruled out because this ingredient can be found in both cosmetic products and widely consumed food products such as bread, various baked goods (1).

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) Tietz, T., Lenzner, A., Kolbaum, A.E. et al. Aggregated aluminium exposure: risk assessment for the general population. Arch Toxicol 93, 3503–3521 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00204-019-02599-z

 Abstract. Aluminium is one of the most abundant elements in earth’s crust and its manifold uses result in an exposure of the population from many sources. Developmental toxicity, effects on the urinary tract and neurotoxicity are known effects of aluminium and its compounds. Here, we assessed the health risks resulting from total consumer exposure towards aluminium and various aluminium compounds, including contributions from foodstuffs, food additives, food contact materials (FCM), and cosmetic products. For the estimation of aluminium contents in foodstuff, data from the German “Pilot-Total-Diet-Study” were used, which was conducted as part of the European TDS-Exposure project. These were combined with consumption data from the German National Consumption Survey II to yield aluminium exposure via food for adults. It was found that the average weekly aluminium exposure resulting from food intake amounts to approx. 50% of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 1 mg/kg body weight (bw)/week, derived by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). For children, data from the French “Infant Total Diet Study” and the “Second French Total Diet Study” were used to estimate aluminium exposure via food. As a result, the TWI can be exhausted or slightly exceeded—particularly for infants who are not exclusively breastfed and young children relying on specially adapted diets (e.g. soy-based, lactose free, hypoallergenic). When taking into account the overall aluminium exposure from foods, cosmetic products (cosmetics), pharmaceuticals and FCM from uncoated aluminium, a significant exceedance of the EFSA-derived TWI and even the PTWI of 2 mg/kg bw/week, derived by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, may occur. Specifically, high exposure levels were found for adolescents aged 11–14 years. Although exposure data were collected with special regard to the German population, it is also representative for European and comparable to international consumers. From a toxicological point of view, regular exceedance of the lifetime tolerable aluminium intake (TWI/PTWI) is undesirable, since this results in an increased risk for health impairments. Consequently, recommendations on how to reduce overall aluminium exposure are given.