Lecithin in Skincare: What It Does and Why We Use It

Lecithin is the quiet workhorse of a good cream: a mix of phospholipids that helps oil and water blend into a smooth, stable texture and leaves skin feeling softer. It's a texture ingredient, not a treatment, and it earns its place in eye creams.

What is lecithin?

Lecithin is the INCI name for a group of fatty substances called phosphoglycerides, or phospholipids. Phosphatidylcholine is the best known of them. Phospholipids are also the main building blocks of cell membranes, which is part of why they behave so well at the border between water and oil.

In a cream or lotion, that border is the whole problem. Water and oil want to separate.

Lecithin sits between them and helps them stay mixed. That makes it an emulsifier, and it's the reason you'll see it in creams, lotions and eye products.

Lecithin can come from more than one source, and the ingredient list just says "Lecithin". The label alone can't tell you whether a particular product's lecithin is plant or animal in origin, so ask the brand if it matters to you.

What does lecithin do for skin?

Lecithin has two jobs in a formula. First, it helps hold the formula together as an emulsifier.

Second, it's used as a skin-conditioning ingredient, meaning it helps skin feel softer and smoother after application. The CIR report describes these phosphoglycerides as used mainly as skin and hair conditioning agents, emulsifiers and surfactants.

It's worth being clear about what it doesn't do. The CIR report notes that although phospholipids have physiological effects inside the body, applying them to skin doesn't reproduce those effects.

Lecithin in skincare is a texture and feel ingredient. It isn't a source of the dietary benefits you may have read about for lecithin supplements.

Phospholipids like phosphatidylcholine are also used to build liposomes, tiny fat-based bubbles that can carry other ingredients. In a laboratory study on donated human skin, phosphatidylcholine liposomes carrying vitamin C moved through skin better than a plain solution. That's a finding about a specific delivery system in a lab model, not a promise about any finished cream.

Why we use lecithin

Lecithin is in our Retinol Eye Cream with Vitamin C & Peptides. Our formulator uses it as an emulsifier, to help the oil and water parts of the cream blend into a smooth, stable texture.

Our view: an eye cream lives or dies on texture. If the base is smooth and holds together, it's far nicer to use. Lecithin is one of the ingredients that helps get it there.

Who is lecithin good for?

Lecithin is widely used across many product types, and the human testing in the CIR report found it generally non-irritating. That said, no ingredient suits everyone.

If your skin is reactive or you've had reactions to creams before, patch test first. Our patch testing guide walks through how.

Soy allergy is the question people ask most. Lecithin can be made from soy, and the label doesn't say which source a product uses. The CIR report says most or all soy protein is removed when soy lecithin is produced, and that the allergens would sit in the protein fraction.

It also reports that proteins in soy lecithin showed little antigenicity in a study of soybean-sensitive people. If you have a soy allergy, ask the brand about the source before you buy, and check with your doctor.

How do you use it?

You don't use lecithin on its own. It's a supporting ingredient inside a finished product, so use the product the way its directions say. Apply to clean skin, and for an eye cream, dab gently around the orbital bone and keep it away from the lash line.

If you're trying a new product with lecithin in it, introduce it by itself first. That way, if your skin reacts, you know which product to blame.

What does it pair with?

Lecithin is an emulsifier, so it tends to sit alongside other ingredients that build a cream: oils and butters such as shea butter, humectants such as glycerine and hyaluronic acid, and co-emulsifiers such as cetearyl olivate.

There's no ingredient you need to keep away from lecithin in your routine. The usual rule applies: add one new product at a time and watch how your skin responds.

What does the research say?

The short version: well reviewed for safety, with early and company-linked evidence on liposomes.

CIR safety assessment. The 2020 CIR report is the main source.

In human tests it covers, lecithin in cosmetic formulations was generally non-irritating, and tested products containing lecithin were not sensitising. Lecithin and hydrogenated lecithin at 15% in petrolatum were also not phototoxic or photosensitising in the studies it summarises.

Liposome delivery. A 2015 laboratory study used phosphatidylcholine liposomes carrying vitamin C on human skin removed during surgery.

The liposomes improved penetration compared with a free solution, and the authors call for clinical trials. Several authors worked for the company that made the liposomes, which is worth knowing.

Lipid carriers and moisture. A 2021 review in Cosmetics describes how lipid-based carriers, liposomes among them, are used in moisturising products, partly through forming a barrier that slows water loss. It also says clearer regulatory guidance is needed for some of these carriers.

Safety and regulation

The CIR Expert Panel reviewed lecithin together with other phosphoglycerides, 17 ingredients in all, and concluded they are safe in the present practices of use and concentration in cosmetics. The report records a leave-on use range from a trace amount up to 50%, with the 50% maximum reported for lecithin in foot products. That's the top of a very wide range across product types, not a typical level for a face or eye cream.

The report also notes that the US FDA prohibits cosmetic ingredients made from certain bovine materials, and that lecithin is affirmed as generally recognised as safe when used as a food ingredient in the US. The CIR report is the position we rely on.

Lecithin in Dope Skin Co products

Lecithin appears in the full ingredient list of our Retinol Eye Cream with Vitamin C & Peptides. If you're not sure what suits your skin, the skincare quiz is a good place to start.

Frequently asked questions

Is lecithin the same as the lecithin supplement?
The name is the same, but the use is different. In skincare it works as an emulsifier and skin-conditioning ingredient. The CIR report says applying phospholipids to skin doesn't reproduce their effects inside the body.

Is lecithin in skincare made from soy?
It can be, but source varies and "Lecithin" on a label doesn't say. The CIR report says most or all soy protein is removed during production. If you have a soy allergy, ask the brand directly.

Is lecithin safe?
The CIR Expert Panel concluded that lecithin and the other phosphoglycerides it reviewed are safe in the present practices of use and concentration in cosmetics. Everyone's skin is different, so patch test new products.

Is lecithin an emulsifier?
Yes. It helps oil and water stay blended, which gives creams and lotions a smooth, even texture.

Related ingredients

• Cetearyl olivate, an emulsifier often used in creams
• Sorbitan olivate, a co-emulsifier
• Ceramides, lipids found in the skin barrier
• Glycerine, a humectant
• Shea butter, a rich plant butter

Sources

• Johnson W Jr, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, et al. (Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel). Safety Assessment of Lecithin and Other Phosphoglycerides as Used in Cosmetics. Int J Toxicol 2020;39(2_suppl):5S-25S. SAGE full text.
• Serrano G, Almudever P, Serrano JM, et al. Phosphatidylcholine liposomes as carriers to improve topical ascorbic acid treatment of skin disorders. Clin Cosmet Investig Dermatol 2015;8:591-599. Dove Medical Press.
• Pavlou P, Siamidi A, Varvaresou A, Vlachou M. Skin Care Formulations and Lipid Carriers as Skin Moisturizing Agents. Cosmetics 2021;8(3):89. MDPI.