Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5)

Panthenol is the alcohol form of pantothenic acid (Vitamin B5). It's not biologically active on its own. Once absorbed into skin it converts into pantothenic acid, which is a genuine metabolic cofactor your skin cells use in normal function, not just a moisturizing ingredient sitting on the surface.

Two separate mechanisms, which is why it earns a place in such different products:

• Humectant action

  Draws moisture into the stratum corneum and helps it stay there, functioning similarly to glycerin but with better skin tolerance.

• Metabolic and repair action

  Supports fibroblast proliferation and re-epithelialization, which is the actual scientific basis for "supports barrier recovery." This is documented in wound-healing literature, not only cosmetic studies.

• 4ZERØ1 (barrier repair)

  Panthenol's repair mechanism is the primary reason for inclusion here.

• wecalm (calming, inflamed skin)

  Its documented reduction in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) directly supports the reduced-TEWL claim.

• nanogrow (hair serum)

  Less about barrier repair here, more about scalp hydration and reducing irritation that can contribute to shedding.

Panthenol is typically effective in the 1–5% range. Below 1%, the metabolic-support claim weakens significantly and it functions as a humectant only.