Ingredient intelligence
Zinc PCA
Mineral · Zinc PCA · C10H12N2O6Zn
Zinc PCA pairs zinc with pyrrolidone carboxylic acid, a natural moisturising factor component. It is studied for sebum-related and barrier-related endpoints.
Molecular identity
- Formula
- C10H12N2O6Zn
- Molecular weight
- 321.6 g/mol
- PubChem CID
- 160556
- ChEBI
- Data unavailable
Biological targets
5-alpha reductase type 1 (SRD5A1)
low confidenceinhibits · enzyme
UniProt P18405Filaggrin (FLG)
medium confidenceassociated with · structural protein
PCA is a filaggrin breakdown product.
UniProt P20930
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.
drag to pan · hover to isolate a path · click a node for detail
4 lower-confidence relationships are hidden at this filter level. Use “Show more biology” to include them.
Text alternative for this network
- Zinc PCA is molecule Pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA) — high confidence
- Zinc PCA is molecule Zinc PCA — high confidence
- Pyrrolidone carboxylic acid (PCA) associated with Filaggrin (FLG) — medium confidence
- Filaggrin (FLG) encoded by FLG — medium confidence
- FLG participates in Formation of the cornified envelope — medium confidence
- Formation of the cornified envelope associated with Stratum corneum hydration — medium confidence
Biological pathways
Formation of the cornified envelope
medium confidenceFilaggrin proteolysis generates natural moisturising factors including PCA.
Reactome R-HSA-6809371
Evidence engine
Insufficient
Not enough curated evidence to characterise this ingredient.
Skinceptor Evidence Index
15
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
- In-vitro2
- Total studies
- 2
- Human studies
- 0
- Largest sample
- Data unavailable
- Range
- 2008–2008
Index breakdown
- Study design quality25% × 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.
- Recency10% × 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
2008
Filaggrin degradation products and natural moisturising factor content of the stratum corneum
In-vitrosample size unavailable · Journal of Investigative Dermatology
2008
Zinc salts and sebaceous lipid production in vitro
In-vitrosample size unavailable · Experimental Dermatology
Ingredient fingerprint
11 nodes · 12 relationships · seed "zinc-pca"
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
Filaggrin degradation products and natural moisturising factor content of the stratum corneum
Demonstrates that filaggrin proteolysis by caspase-14 and downstream enzymes generates pyrrolidone carboxylic acid and urocanic acid.
Limitations — Ex-vivo/in-vitro; identifier not verified during curation.
Zinc salts and sebaceous lipid production in vitro
Reported reduced sebocyte lipid accumulation with zinc salts, including 5-alpha reductase inhibition in cell assays.
Limitations — Cell model; identifier not verified; concentration relevance unclear.
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 160556retrieved 2026-09-14
Related biology maps