Humectants in skincare — what they do

Humectants draw water into the upper layers of skin, the backbone of K-beauty "dewy" hydration. They work best sandwiched under an emollient or occlusive that locks the water in.

39 humectants in the K-beauty INCI decoder

• 1,2-Hexanediol — A lightweight ingredient that supports skin hydration while helping keep the formula stable and fresh.
• Acetylated Sodium Hyaluronate (Super HA) — A modified hyaluronic acid that clings to skin well to help maintain lasting surface hydration.
• Allantoin — A gentle conditioning ingredient that helps soothe and soften skin while supporting a comfortable feel.
• Aloe Vera Leaf Juice — A water-rich plant juice that helps hydrate and soothe skin while supporting a calm, comfortable feel.
• Beta-Glucan — An oat- or yeast-derived sugar that helps hydrate and soothe skin while supporting a comfortable feel.
• Betaine — A gentle sugar-beet-derived humectant that helps hydrate and soften skin while supporting a smooth feel.
• Butylene Glycol — A light humectant and solvent that helps draw in moisture and gives products a smooth, fast-absorbing feel.
• Caprylyl Glycol — A skin-conditioning humectant that helps soften skin and supports the freshness of the formula.
• Centella Asiatica Extract (Cica) — A calming plant extract that helps soothe and hydrate skin while supporting a comfortable, balanced feel.
• Fructose — A natural fruit sugar that attracts moisture and helps support skin hydration.
• Glucose — A simple sugar that binds water to help keep skin hydrated and soft.
• Glycereth-26 — A glycerin-based humectant that draws in moisture to help keep skin soft and hydrated.
• Glycerin (Glycerol) — A classic water-binding humectant that draws moisture into the skin and helps keep it soft and hydrated.
• Glycerol Glucoside (Glycoin) — A desert-plant-inspired humectant that helps skin retain water and stay resilient against dryness.
• Glycogen — A complex sugar that helps skin hold water and supports a hydrated, refreshed feel.
• Honey (Mel) — A natural sugar-rich humectant that attracts moisture and helps soften and soothe the skin.
• Hyaluronic Acid — A large moisture-binding molecule that helps the skin's surface feel hydrated, smooth, and supple.
• Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid — A smaller, broken-down form of hyaluronic acid that penetrates more easily to support deeper-feeling hydration.
• Hydrolyzed Sodium Hyaluronate — A small fragment of hyaluronic acid salt that absorbs easily to support deeper-feeling hydration.
• Hydroxyethyl Urea — A gentle, non-sticky humectant that helps skin hold onto water for a hydrated, supple feel.
• Inositol — A sugar-like conditioning agent that helps hydrate and support a smooth, comfortable skin feel.
• Lactic Acid — An AHA that at low levels hydrates and at higher levels helps gently smooth and renew the skin surface.
• Maltodextrin — A plant-sugar ingredient that helps bind moisture and gives products a smooth, conditioning feel.
• Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5) — A pro-vitamin B5 ingredient that helps hydrate and soothe skin while supporting a soft, comfortable feel.
• PCA (Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid) — A natural moisturizing factor that helps skin attract and hold water for better hydration.
• Pentylene Glycol — A multitasking humectant that hydrates skin and helps keep the formula fresh and well-blended.
• Polyglutamic Acid — A fermented amino-acid polymer that holds water at the skin surface to help boost lasting hydration.
• Propylene Glycol — A lightweight humectant and solvent that helps hydrate skin and carry other ingredients evenly.
• Saccharide Isomerate (Pentavitin) — A plant-sugar complex that binds to skin to support long-lasting, deep-feeling hydration.
• Snail Secretion Filtrate (Snail Mucin) — A moisture-rich snail-derived filtrate that helps hydrate and soothe skin for a soft, supple feel.
• Sodium Hyaluronate — The salt form of hyaluronic acid that holds water in the skin to support plump, hydrated-looking skin.
• Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer — A modified hyaluronic acid that forms a light film to help hold moisture at the skin surface longer.
• Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer-2 — A cross-linked hyaluronic acid that forms a moisture-holding network on the skin surface.
• Sodium Lactate — A natural moisturizing factor and salt of lactic acid that helps bind water and keep skin hydrated.
• Sodium PCA — A natural moisturizing factor found in skin that attracts and holds water to support hydration.
• Sorbitol — A sugar-derived humectant that attracts moisture and helps give skin a soft, smooth feel.
• Trehalose — A protective sugar that holds water and helps skin stay hydrated and comfortable under dryness or stress.
• Urea — A natural moisturizing factor that hydrates and, at higher concentrations, helps soften the look and feel of rough, dry, flaky skin.
• Xylitol — A plant-sugar humectant that attracts moisture and helps support the skin's hydration balance.

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✍️ Written & reviewed by the KoreaPlus Editorial team — dermatologist-informed, cosmetic-science researched & source-cited. Last reviewed: 2026-08-08.

General educational information using cosmetic structure-function wording — not medical advice. Always patch-test new actives. © KoreaPlus.