Glycogen Benefits
- Shown to boost keratinocytes' own ceramide production
- Functions as a humectant, helping draw and hold moisture
- May support the skin's microbiome as a nutrient source
- Provides a lightweight, non sticky hydration boost
Glycogen Description
Glycogen is the storage form of glucose that skin cells, like most cells in the body, rely on for readily accessible energy, and research on keratinocytes has shown skin actively builds and breaks down its own glycogen reserves as part of normal epidermal metabolism.
Laboratory research applying glycogen to cultured human keratinocytes found it activated an enzyme called acid sphingomyelinase, which in turn increased the cells' own ceramide production, pointing to a genuine role for glycogen in supporting the skin barrier rather than functioning purely as a surface humectant.
Beyond this direct cellular effect, glycogen is also thought to serve as a nutrient source for some of the beneficial bacteria that naturally live on skin, indirectly supporting a balanced microbiome, though this mechanism is considered a secondary, supporting benefit rather than glycogen's primary documented function in a formula.
Glycogen References
Effects of Glycogen on Ceramide Production in Cultured Human Keratinocytes via Acid Sphingomyelinase Activation, 2021
Keratinocyte Glycogen: An Ultrastructural Study of the Epidermal Response to Galactosamine and Glucose in Organ Culture, 1972
Written by Elle Layne
Ingredient Ratings
Our team reviews ingredient research and uses up-to-date evidence to rate ingredients based on the categories below.
Best
Ingredients with the most rigorous and convincing evidence. These are the standouts backed by consistent findings across independent, peer reviewed clinical research.. When we call an ingredient Best, it has earned that distinction through genuine, reproducible proof that it improves skin.
Good
Reliable, well tolerated ingredients that do their job without complaint. They may not carry the headline benefits of a Best rated active, but they hydrate, stabilize a formula, or support the ingredients around them in ways that make a real difference in how a product performs and feels.
Average
Ingredients that are perfectly safe and serve a clear function, typically as an emollient, thickener, or filler, but do not offer any meaningful skin benefit beyond that basic job. Not a red flag, just not a reason to choose one product over another.
Bad/Worst
Ingredients with documented potential to irritate skin, disrupt the barrier, or trigger sensitization in some users, often synthetic fragrance, drying forms of alcohol, or certain essential oils. Not automatically a dealbreaker for every skin type, but worth knowing about before you commit to a product.