Ingredient intelligence
Allantoin
Skin barrier · Allantoin · C4H6N4O3
Allantoin is a purine used as a soothing and agent. Its cutaneous is less well characterised than its physical effects.
Any underlined term can be tapped for an everyday-English translation.
Molecular identity
- Formula
- C4H6N4O3
- Molecular weight
- 158.12 g/mol
- PubChem CID
- 204
- ChEBI
- CHEBI:15676
Biological targets
Urate oxidase pathway metabolites
low confidenceassociated with · complex
Allantoin is the product of urate.
How could this ingredient interact with biology?
Biological network
Ingredient → molecule → target → gene/protein → pathway → process → studied outcome. Relationship strength is drawn from the curated confidence tier; nothing is added to make the chain look complete.
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5 lower-confidence relationships are hidden at this filter level. Use “Show more biology” to include them.
Text alternative for this network
- Allantoin is molecule Allantoin — high confidence
Biological pathways
Purine catabolism
medium confidenceAllantoin as a purine degradation product.
Reactome R-HSA-74259
Evidence engine
Limited
Mostly mechanistic, animal or single-study evidence.
Skinceptor Evidence Index
44
experimental · of 100
This index is a research-navigation aid describing how much evidence exists and how it was produced. It is not a medical safety score, an efficacy guarantee, or a clinical recommendation.
Study composition
- Human1
- Review1
- Total studies
- 2
- Human studies
- 1
- Largest sample
- 33
- Range
- 2016–2016
Index breakdown
- Study design quality57% × 28%
Mean design weight across curated studies (meta-analysis 1.0, RCT 0.9, other human 0.7, review 0.45, animal 0.35, in-vitro 0.25).
- Human evidence share33% × 22%
Proportion of curated evidence measured in people rather than cells or animals.
- Evidence volume50% × 14%
Log-scaled count of curated studies, so volume alone cannot dominate the score.
- Largest sample size51% × 12%
Log-scaled largest reported sample size across curated human studies.
- Replication33% × 12%
Independent human studies, capped at three; one study is never treated as replicated.
- Recency50% × 7%
Linear decay over a twenty-year window from the most recent curated publication.
- Source traceability0% × 5%
Share of curated studies with a verified PMID or DOI in this dataset.
Insufficient comparable evidence for quantitative synthesis.
Research timeline
How the evidence accumulated
2016
Allantoin in topical formulations: keratolytic and soothing properties
Reviewsample size unavailable · Journal of Cosmetic Science (review)
2016
Allantoin in barrier-support formulations: tolerability and hydration endpoints
Humann = 33 · Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology
Ingredient fingerprint
7 nodes · 6 relationships · seed "allantoin"
The fingerprint is a deterministic visual signature: ridge amplitude comes from the number of entities in each tier, node placement from identifier hashes, and opacity from confidence. Two ingredients can never produce the same figure unless their networks are identical.
Open in Biology as Art →Research
2 curated studies
Allantoin in topical formulations: keratolytic and soothing properties
Summarises long-standing topical use with limited modern controlled data on mechanism.
Limitations — Sparse controlled evidence; mechanism partly unresolved.
Allantoin in barrier-support formulations: tolerability and hydration endpoints
Reported improved hydration and reduced roughness with an allantoin-containing emollient, without isolating the ingredient.
Limitations — Multi-ingredient formulation prevents attribution; identifier not verified during curation.
Community evidence
Submitted by readers
Reader submissions appear here only after review. They are not part of the curated dataset and do not affect the Skinceptor Evidence Index.
No approved community submissions yet.
Sources
- PubChem 204Verified 2026-09-14
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