Ingredient glossary
Maltitol
On your shelf ✓What Maltitol does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Maltitol
In short: Maltitol delivers hydration, suits most skin types, and the evidence behind it is limited.
- What it does
- Hydration
- Best for
- Most skin types
- Evidence
- Limited
- How long
- Straight away
The molecule
The Glow take
Can help, with honest expectations.
When your goal is deep, lasting hydration, Maltitol can genuinely help, though the evidence is still thin, so keep expectations gentle. Gentle enough that most skin types can reach for it.
— Maya
What it does
- hydration
weak evidencePrimarily supported by formulation experience rather than dedicated clinical trials; considered safe and mildly hydrating.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- dry
- dehydrated
- all
Approach with care
No specific group flagged to avoid it.
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskLow
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationSuits
- OilySuits
- SensitiveSuits
Where it fits in your routine
This one works on contact — there is nothing to wait for.
What that covers, and what it does not
Measured on: Surface hydration, corneometer capacitance.
A disaccharide alcohol, freely water-soluble with no oil affinity, so any hydration it gives is surface water binding present from application. Support is formulation experience rather than clinical trials, and the base's position-dependent concentration clue reflects that it is normally a minor member of a polyol blend. No study has measured maltitol alone, so the bucket is mechanism only and says nothing about magnitude.
No trial identified. Polyol humectant physical chemistry; maltitol is used as part of blended polyol humectant systems with no dedicated clinical literature.
Plays well with
- humectants
Maltitol, answered
Is Maltitol safe during pregnancy?
Yes. Maltitol is considered safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. As with anything, if you are unsure it is worth a quick word with your doctor or midwife.
Who should avoid Maltitol?
No specific group is flagged to avoid Maltitol. It is well tolerated by most skin. Still, introduce anything new one product at a time.
What concentration of Maltitol actually works?
Its concentration is rarely printed on the label, so use the ingredient list as your clue: near the top third it is likely doing real work, near the bottom it is more of a sprinkle.
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