Ingredient Library
N-Acetyl-L-Glutamine
Acetyl glutamine (N-acetyl-L-glutamine)
N-acetyl-L-glutamine is an amino acid derivative that helps brighten and even tone while supporting the skin barrier. Smoothing, it suits dull, uneven skin.
A natural history
This ingredient begins with one of the body's quiet workhorses. Glutamine is the single most abundant free amino acid in the human body and a favorite fuel of fast renewing cells, the very cells that build and refresh the skin. Amino acids like it are the body's building blocks, and a share of them live in the outer skin as part of its own moisture keeping system, the natural moisturizing factor.
Pure glutamine is delicate and unstable in water, awkward to keep in a formula. The answer is a gentle chemical tweak: adding an acetyl group yields a stable, skin friendly form, acetyl glutamine, that survives in a product and is easy for skin to take. It is a thoughtful way to offer the skin one of its own building blocks.
What it does for your skin
Acetyl glutamine is a stable, skin conditioning amino acid derivative. Skin science recognizes that amino acids are a core part of the natural moisturizing factor, the skin's own system for staying supple, and that this store shifts with age.[1] Glutamine itself is the body's most abundant amino acid and a key fuel for renewing cells.[2] In a formula acetyl glutamine acts as a replenishing humectant building block that helps skin look hydrated and smooth. Dedicated studies on the ingredient itself are limited.
References
[1] Boireau-Adamezyk E, et al. The stratum corneum water content and natural moisturization factor composition evolve with age and depend on body site. Int J Dermatol. 2021;60(7):834-839. doi:10.1111/ijd.15417
[2] Kim MH, Kim H. The roles of glutamine in the intestine and its implication in intestinal diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2017;18(5):1051. doi:10.3390/ijms18051051
Found in these formulas
Questions, answered
It is a stable, skin-conditioning amino acid that helps support hydration and a smoother, replenished look, offering skin one of its own building blocks.
No. This is the amino acid acetyl glutamine, used for conditioning and hydration, a different ingredient from the sugar-based glucosamine.