Ingredient glossary
Trehalose
On your shelf ✓What Trehalose does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Trehalose
In short: Trehalose delivers hydration and antioxidant support, suits most skin types, and the evidence behind it is emerging.
- What it does
- Hydration, antioxidant support
- Best for
- Most skin types
- Evidence
- Emerging
- How long
- Straight away
The molecule
The Glow take
Genuinely worth a spot in your routine.
When your goal is deep, lasting hydration, Trehalose pulls genuine weight, though the proof is still catching up to the excitement. Gentle enough that most skin types can reach for it.
— Maya
What it does
- hydration
- antioxidant support
emerging evidenceCosmetic and biochemical literature describe trehalose as a water-structuring sugar that supports moisturization and protection in stress conditions.
On a label: usually effective at 1-5%.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- dry
- dehydrated
- all
Approach with care
No specific group flagged to avoid it.
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskLow
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationSuits
- OilySuits
- SensitiveSuits
Where it fits in your routine
This one works on contact — there is nothing to wait for.
What that covers, and what it does not
Measured on: Stratum corneum hydration, corneometer capacitance.
A disaccharide humectant: water binding at the surface raises capacitance hydration as soon as the film is in place, so nothing is being remodelled. The only human study I could identify is a small formulation paper (n=7, 1/2.5/5% trehalose in an avocado-oil/Olivem emulsion, measurements at weeks 1, 2 and 4) reporting TEWL down ~33% with 2.5% versus ~8% for the placebo base and hydration up to +102%, with values reverting within two weeks of stopping; the paper does not say which weekly visit first reached significance, and the emulsion base itself contributes much of the effect. So the immediate call rests on humectant physics, while the measured barrier increment builds over weeks of continuous use. The antioxidant/protectant claim in the base has no human time course at all.
Czajkowska-Kosnik A, Perkowska P, Winnicka K. "Trehalose in an Emulsion-Based Carrier: Effects on Skin Hydration and Transepidermal Water Loss." Cosmetics 2026;13(4):196, doi:10.3390/cosmetics13040196. No PMID cited (verified by fetching the publisher abstract, not PubMed).
Plays well with
- humectants
- antioxidants
Trehalose, answered
Is Trehalose safe during pregnancy?
Yes. Trehalose is considered safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. As with anything, if you are unsure it is worth a quick word with your doctor or midwife.
Who should avoid Trehalose?
No specific group is flagged to avoid Trehalose. It is well tolerated by most skin. Still, introduce anything new one product at a time.
What concentration of Trehalose actually works?
Trehalose tends to do its job in the 1 to 5% range. Much lower and it is likely underdosed.
Compare Trehalose with
- Hyaluronic acid
- Pro-vitamin B5
- Sodium PCA
- Aloe
- Butylene Glycol
- Propanediol
- Betaine
- Xylitol
- Hydroxyethyl Urea
- Glycereth-26
- Polyglutamic Acid
- Tremella Fuciformis Extract
- Beta-Glucan
- Hydrolyzed Collagen
- Honey
- Pentylene Glycol
- Crosslinked sodium HA
- Propylene Glycol
- Hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid
- Acetylated Hyaluronic Acid
- Fructooligosaccharides
- Hexylene Glycol
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