Ingredient intelligence
Biotin
Hair biology · Biotin · C10H16N2O3S
Biotin is a vitamin for carboxylase . Deficiency affects hair and nails; supplementation in non-deficient people has limited supporting evidence.
Any underlined term can be tapped for an everyday-English translation.
Molecular identity
- Formula
- C10H16N2O3S
- Molecular weight
- 244.31 g/mol
- PubChem CID
- 171548
- ChEBI
- CHEBI:15956
Biological targets
Holocarboxylase synthetase (HLCS)
high confidencetargets · enzyme
UniProt P50747Acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACACA)
high confidenceactivates · enzyme
UniProt Q13085
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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1 lower-confidence relationship is hidden at this filter level. Use “Show more biology” to include them.
Text alternative for this network
- Biotin is molecule Biotin — high confidence
- Biotin targets Holocarboxylase synthetase (HLCS) — high confidence
- Biotin activates Acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACACA) — high confidence
- Holocarboxylase synthetase (HLCS) encoded by HLCS — high confidence
- Acetyl-CoA carboxylase 1 (ACACA) encoded by ACACA — high confidence
- HLCS participates in Biotin transport and metabolism — high confidence
- ACACA participates in Biotin transport and metabolism — high confidence
- BTD participates in Biotin transport and metabolism — high confidence
- HLCS participates in Fatty acid metabolism — high confidence
- ACACA participates in Fatty acid metabolism — high confidence
- BTD participates in Fatty acid metabolism — high confidence
- Biotin transport and metabolism associated with Cellular energy metabolism — high confidence
- Fatty acid metabolism associated with Cellular energy metabolism — high confidence
- Cellular energy metabolism studied in Evidence supports correction of deficiency only — medium confidence
Biological pathways
Biotin transport and metabolism
high confidenceBiotinylation of carboxylase .
Reactome R-HSA-196780
Fatty acid metabolism
high confidenceCarboxylase-dependent synthesis steps.
Reactome R-HSA-8978868
Evidence engine
Insufficient
Not enough curated evidence to characterise this ingredient.
Skinceptor Evidence Index
23
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
- Review2
- Total studies
- 2
- Human studies
- 0
- Largest sample
- Data unavailable
- Range
- 2017–2017
Index breakdown
- Study design quality45% × 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 share0% × 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 size0% × 12%
Log-scaled largest reported sample size across curated human studies.
- Replication0% × 12%
Independent human studies, capped at three; one study is never treated as replicated.
- Recency55% × 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
2017
A review of the use of biotin for hair loss
Reviewsample size unavailable · Skin Appendage Disorders
2017
Biotin supplementation for hair and nail complaints: a critical appraisal
Reviewsample size unavailable · Skin Appendage Disorders (review)
Ingredient fingerprint
12 nodes · 18 relationships · seed "biotin"
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
A review of the use of biotin for hair loss
Found supporting evidence only in cases of underlying biotin deficiency; no evidence of benefit in non-deficient individuals.
Limitations — Review of a small literature; few controlled trials exist.
Biotin supplementation for hair and nail complaints: a critical appraisal
Found that reported benefits cluster in patients with an underlying biotin deficiency, with no good evidence in unaffected people.
Limitations — Review of low-quality case series; 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 171548Verified 2026-09-14
- Reactome R-HSA-196780Verified 2026-09-14
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