What does Allantoin do?#
A gentle moisturizer with allantoin that helps calm the appearance of skin and promotes a smoother, more comfortable-looking complexion.
Benefits
- Helps soothe the appearance of irritation and redness
- Supports a smoother, softer-looking skin texture
- Promotes a more comfortable, well-conditioned complexion
How it works
Allantoin is a naturally occurring compound known for its skin-conditioning properties. It helps promote a smoother surface texture and softer feel. It also helps soften the look of dry, rough patches and contributes to a calmer, more comfortable-looking appearance.
How to use Allantoin#
How often
There is nothing to build up to, and most people have no settling-in period to wait out — a full amount is fine from the first day.
Where it goes
Last, after anything you apply to bare skin.
Where to apply
Avoid getting the product directly into your eyes — rinse with water if it happens.
How to apply
Smooth it on rather than rubbing it in.
Sun
Allantoin isn't one of the actives we flag for extra sun care, so it asks nothing beyond your usual sunscreen.
Alongside others
It shares a routine comfortably with everything else on the shelf, exfoliants and retinoids included, so it never needs an evening of its own.
What to expect
Dry or roughened skin is what it suits rather than a reason to hold back.
Discontinue use if unexpected discomfort occurs.
The form you will see it in
Soothing moisturizer
- Where it goes
- As your moisturizer
Using Allantoin with other ingredients
Pairs well with Allantoin
Glycerin
Works well togetherGlycerin draws in moisture while allantoin helps keep skin looking calm and comfortable.
Hyaluronic Acid
Works well togetherAllantoin supports surface smoothness while HA provides deeper hydration.
Niacinamide
Works well togetherComplementary soothing and conditioning benefits.
Bisabolol
Works well togetherBoth contribute to a calmer, more comfortable-looking complexion.
What not to use with Allantoin
Nothing flagged. None of the ingredients this wiki covers needs to be kept apart from Allantoin — check the label of anything not covered here.
Who should avoid Allantoin?#
Six situations change whether Allantoin suits your skin right now. Each one is either a reason to skip it, a reason to go slowly, or nothing to watch for.
- Maternity & Nursing
- No caution
- Fragile or Sensitive
- No caution
- Recent Facial or Laser
- No caution
- Prone to Redness
- No caution
- Dry or Itchy Patches
- No caution
- Recent Shave or Wax
- No caution
Cosmetic strength limits for Allantoin where you live#
| Region | Most a cosmetic may contain | |
|---|---|---|
 United States | No explicit cap | |
The FDA restricts a short list of ingredients and sets no general strength ceiling on the rest. A figure marked "guidance, not law" is the Cosmetic Ingredient Review panel's recommendation. 21 CFR part 700, subpart B — Requirements for Specific Cosmetic Products (FDA) | ||
 Canada | No explicit cap | |
One list does the work — Health Canada's Hotlist of prohibited and restricted cosmetic ingredients. | ||
 European Union | No explicit cap | |
The Cosmetics Regulation's annexes, consolidated to 1 May 2026. A figure marked "guidance, not law" comes from the EU's cosmetic safety committee rather than from the annexes. | ||
 Great Britain | No explicit cap | |
Great Britain kept the annexes as its own law and updates them only when it chooses; Northern Ireland follows the live EU Regulation, which is why some rows read differently for each. Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as it applies in Great Britain · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI | ||
 India | No explicit cap | |
India writes its own standard, aligned to the European rules as they stood in 2012. Mandatory since 9 February 2026. IS 4707 (Part 2):2025 — restricted and prohibited cosmetic ingredients · IS 4707 (Part 3):2025 — preservatives · Cosmetics Rules, 2020, Ninth Schedule | ||
 Brazil | No explicit cap | |
ANVISA rewrote its restricted list in June 2026, and a companion act amended the prohibited list at the same time. RDC 1.029/2026 — restricted ingredients · RDC 529/2021 — prohibited ingredients, as amended by RDC 1.030/2026 · RDC 528/2021 — preservatives | ||
 Japan | 0.3% (leave-on); 0.5% (rinse-off) | |
Japan's cosmetics standard keeps drug ingredients out of cosmetics, so most of its figures sit in the ministry's list of the ones a cosmetic may still contain. Cosmetics Standards (化粧品基準), Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare · Cosmetics Standards — the ministry's own English translation · Drug ingredients permitted in cosmetics — 2007 notification | ||
 South Korea | No explicit cap | |
One MFDS regulation carries both the prohibited list and the restricted list, in force 18 March 2026. Sunscreens and a few other categories are cleared product by product instead. Regulation on Safety Standards for Cosmetics (MFDS Notification 2026-19) · Regulation on the Review of Functional Cosmetics (MFDS Notification 2025-88) | ||
 Kenya | No explicit cap | |
Kenya's standard applies the EU annexes as they stand rather than copying them, so its ingredient limits are the EU's — including the 2024 additions. A figure marked "guidance, not law" sits outside the annexes and does not carry over. KS EAS 377-1, -2 and -3:2022 — cosmetics safety requirements, published by KEBS · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI | ||
 Namibia | No explicit cap | |
Namibia sets no ingredient limits at all. Its cosmetic rule is a single line requiring a product to be free of any harmful ingredient. Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Ordinance 18 of 1979, and the regulations under it | ||
 Ukraine | No explicit cap | |
Ukraine's own transposition of the EU annexes, as they stood before the 2024 additions, fully in force since 3 August 2026. A further revision is due on 1 February 2027. Technical Regulation on cosmetic products — Cabinet Resolution No. 65 of 20 January 2021 | ||
 Georgia | No explicit cap | |
Georgia has no cosmetics rulebook — its register of technical regulations carries no cosmetics entry — so only the general product-safety duty applies. | ||
 Australia | No explicit cap | |
Australia writes no cosmetic ingredient list. A figure here is the point at which a substance becomes a medicine or a scheduled substance carrying Caution labeling, so its numbers sit well above other markets'. Poisons Standard — June 2026 · Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Determination 2018 | ||
 United Arab Emirates | No explicit cap | |
The Gulf standard points at the EU annexes as amended, so its ingredient limits are the EU's. A figure marked "guidance, not law" sits outside the annexes and does not carry over. GSO 1943:2024 — Cosmetic products: safety requirements (Gulf technical regulation) · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI | ||
 Kuwait | No explicit cap | |
The Gulf standard points at the EU annexes as amended, so its ingredient limits are the EU's. A figure marked "guidance, not law" sits outside the annexes and does not carry over. GSO 1943:2024 — Cosmetic products: safety requirements (Gulf technical regulation) · Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annexes II–VI | ||
 Hong Kong | No explicit cap | |
Hong Kong writes no cosmetics rulebook. Its Poisons List (Cap. 138A, Schedule 10) decides which substances may be sold only as medicines, and general safety is judged case by case against whichever overseas standard the enforcer considers reasonable. Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations (Cap. 138A), Schedule 10 — the poisons list · Pharmacy and Poisons Board — Guidance Notes on classifying pharmaceutical products, April 2026 | ||
 Singapore | No explicit cap | |
Singapore writes the ASEAN annexes into its own schedule, and its regulator tells companies to check the current ASEAN release as well — which is why a figure here can read "guidance, not law". Health Products (Cosmetic Products — ASEAN Cosmetic Directive) Regulations 2007, Third Schedule · ASEAN Cosmetic Directive annexes — release 2026-1, 22 June 2026 | ||
 Brunei | No explicit cap | |
Brunei carries the 2007 ASEAN annexes in its own schedule and has not updated them since, so it reads differently from Singapore on several ingredients. Medicines (Cosmetic Products) Regulations (Cap. 285 Rg 1), Schedule 1 — revised edition 2024 | ||
 Jordan | No explicit cap | |
Jordan's cosmetic rules defer to "the approved references" and name none of them, so there is no Jordanian figure to read. The only number in the instrument governs the ingredient list on the pack. JFDA instructions on cosmetics and pharmaceutical cosmetics, 2026 | ||
 Trinidad & Tobago | No explicit cap | |
Trinidad and Tobago has had the power to set cosmetic standards since 1960 and has never used it. The regulations made under the Act cover food and drugs, with no cosmetics part; what binds is the Act's general rule against selling a cosmetic that may injure the user. Food and Drugs Act, Chap. 30:01 · Food and Drugs Regulations | ||
Where a figure appears, that is the maximum strength allowed or advised for allantoin in that market — some are set in cosmetics regulation, others are the ceiling a cosmetic safety panel recommends. Where no figure appears, the market either sets no cosmetic maximum or handles this ingredient outside its cosmetic rules. These are limits, not targets — the right strength for a formula is the formulator's decision.
Open a market to see the rulebook its figure comes from. Those notes describe each market's own rules as we read them, current to August 24, 2026; the linked documents are the authority, and nothing here is legal advice.
Common questions about Allantoin#
What is Allantoin?
- A quietly reliable calming ingredient — it softens the look of dry, rough patches and takes the edge off the appearance of redness.
When should you apply Allantoin?
- Morning or evening.
How often can you use Allantoin?
- Daily.
Where do you apply Allantoin?
- All over the face. Keep it away from your eyes and lips.
Can you use Allantoin around the eyes?
- Yes. Allantoin goes all over the face, the skin around the eyes included — keep it out of your eyes and off your lips.
Does Allantoin make skin more sensitive to the sun?
- No. Allantoin is not flagged as increasing sun sensitivity.
What should you not use with Allantoin?
- Nothing flagged. None of the ingredients this wiki covers needs to be kept apart from Allantoin — check the label of anything not covered here.
Is there a cosmetic limit for Allantoin?
- No. No cosmetic regulator in the United States, Canada, the European Union or Great Britain sets a maximum strength for it. That is a limit on the rules, not a signal to use more.
Related ingredients#
How we check this#
Everything on this page traces to the sources listed below — regulators' own publications and published studies. Where the evidence does not answer a question, it is left unanswered.
Some sources below are the official product information for prescription medicines, cited for how they interact with this ingredient. We use them for their safety and handling detail only. A cosmetic product is not one of those medicines and is not intended to treat any condition.
Our review is AI-assisted and is not a named expert's opinion. Last reviewed August 7, 2026.
Think something here is out of date or wrong? Email us at wiki@skinintelligence.ai with your reasoning and where you read it. We read what people send, and we update the page when the sources support it.
Regulators and official bodies · 8
- S1FDA (HHS). Skin Protectant Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use; Final Monograph. Final rule. 68 FR 33362–33381, 4 June 2003; codified at 21 CFR Part 347 and amending 21 CFR 310.545(a)(18). PMID 12785379 (corporate author: Food and Drug Administration, HHS). Tier 1..
- S221 CFR Part 347 — Skin Protectant Drug Products for Over-the-Counter Human Use, current eCFR text (confirms Part 347 remains in force). Tier 1..
- S4Health Canada, Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate. Medicated Skin Care Products Monograph. Tier 1..
- S5Health Canada. Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist — List of Ingredients that are Prohibited for Use in Cosmetic Products. Tier 1. (Allantoin absent; Symphytum spp., excepting S. officinale, prohibited.).
- S6Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products (recast), Annexes II–VI — EUR-Lex consolidated text (2025-09-01) and the assimilated UK version at legislation.gov.uk/eur/2009/1223. Tier 1. Allantoin absent from every Annex; verified with positive controls.
- S12Roaccutane 20 mg soft capsules — Summary of Product Characteristics, electronic medicines compendium (emc). Tier 1. (10 mg presentation, product/100633, carries identical §4.4/4.5 text.).
- S13RETIN-A (tretinoin) cream / RETIN-A (tretinoin) gel — US prescribing information, DailyMed setid 9556d73d-c573-4e0a-9feb-764ce2d1107b. Tier 1..
- S19European Commission, CosIng — ALLANTOIN ASCORBATE (entry 74184) and ALLANTOIN ACETYL METHIONINE (entry 74183). Tier 1. Functions recorded: antioxidant, skin conditioning, skin protecting, soothing. The CosIng entry for allantoin itself could not be captured — the database is JavaScript-rendered and returned 0 characters through the fetcher; the EU position is therefore taken from the instrument S6 rather than the database, which is the stronger source in any case.
Studies and references · 11
- S3Becker LC, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Klaassen CD, Marks JG Jr, Shank RC, Slaga TJ, Snyder PW, Andersen FA. Final Report of the Safety Assessment of Allantoin and Its Related Complexes. Int J Toxicol. 2010;29(Suppl 2):84S–97S. doi:10.1177/1091581810362805. Tier 2. Authors verified against the article's own byline.
- S7Savić VLj, Nikolić VD, Arsić IA, Stanojević LP, Najman SJ, Stojanović S, Mladenović-Ranisavljević II. Comparative Study of the Biological Activity of Allantoin and Aqueous Extract of the Comfrey Root. Phytother Res. 2015 Aug;29(8):1117–22. PMID 25880800. doi:10.1002/ptr.5356. Tier 2..
- S8Tan C, Peng K, Lim T, Liu J, Ye Y, Lim L, Gao P, Oblong JE, Lam T. The combination of allantoin, bisabolol, D-panthenol and dipotassium glycyrrhizinate mitigates UVB-induced PGE2 synthesis by keratinocytes. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2024 Oct;46(5):691–701. PMID 38433250. doi:10.1111/ics.12951. Tier 2. In vitro; Procter & Gamble.
- S9Xu Z, Yu B, Qing Y, Ye S, Xu B, Wang Y, Zhao B, Sun H, Wu N, Wu J. Efficacy and Safety of Topical Compound Heparin Sodium Allantoin Gel (Main Components: Onion Extract Quercetin) for the Treatment of Rosacea. J Cosmet Dermatol. 2025 Apr;24(4):e70129. PMID 40177799. ChiCTR2400087948. Tier 2. Combination product.
- S10Chan RJ, Keller J, Cheuk R, Blades R, Tripcony L, Keogh S. A double-blind randomised controlled trial of a natural oil-based emulsion (Moogoo Udder Cream) containing allantoin versus aqueous cream for managing radiation-induced skin reactions in patients with cancer. Radiat Oncol. 2012 Jul 31;7:121. PMID 22849762. Tier 2. Protocol paper — reports no results..
- S11Rokita B, Kozlowska J, Adamus-Wlodarczyk A, Olejnik AK, Czechowska-Biskup R, Wach RA. Hydrogel facial mask for sensitive skin: A pilot study of long-term effects on hydration, barrier function and mechanical properties. Int J Cosmet Sci. 2026. PMID 42521242. Tier 2. Four-ingredient mask (hyaluronic acid, ectoine, allantoin, tocopherol).
- S14FDA. OTC Active Ingredients by Monograph Category, 7 April 2010. Tier 2. Records allantoin as skin protectant Category I under 347.10(a), and "allantoin (wound healing claims only)" as Category III under 310.545(a)(18)(i)(A).
- S15DrugBank, DB11100 — Allantoin. Tier 3. Cited only for its own disclaimer that no well-controlled data substantiate allantoin's pharmacodynamics.
- S16IJCRT review PDFs, ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2308524.pdf and ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT21X0127.pdf. Tier 3, non-indexed. Cited only as the origin of the "moderate keratolytic agent" assertion; carries no measurement and cannot back a quantitative claim.
- S17Cosmetics Info — Allantoin. Tier 3-class industry summary. Cited only to record that its assertion "was not phototoxic" is contradicted by the CIR primary S3, which states no phototoxicity data were available.
- S18International Expert Consensus on Integrated Skincare Active Ingredients for Pretreatment and Posttreatment Use With Medical Aesthetic Procedures to Enhance Skin Benefits. PMID 42087526. Tier 2. Cited for a verified negative: it enumerates actives to avoid on treatment day and in short-term aftercare and never names allantoin. Authors not confirmed against the record and therefore not stated.
