Maltitol Laurate
What Is It?
Maltitol is a sugar alcohol that is used primarily as a dietary sweetener and also has cosmetic applications. Maltitol Laurate is the ester of Maltitol and lauric acid. Maltitol contains no alcohol; the term “sugar alcohol” is used to describe sugars with an alcoholAlcohols are a large class of important cosmetic ingredients but only ethanol needs to be denatured to prevent it from being redirected from cosmetic applications to alcoholic beverages. side chain to prevent their digestion, rendering them noncaloric.
Why Is It Used?
Maltitol functions as a flavoring agentIngredients that impart a flavor or a taste to a product., humectantIngredients that slow the loss of moisture from a product during use. or a skin-conditioning agent. Maltitol Laurate functions as an emulsion stabilizerIngredients that help to keep an emulsion from separating into its oil and liquid components. or a skin-conditioning agent – miscellaneous.
Scientific Facts
Maltitol is made by hydrogenation of maltose obtained from starchA complex carbohydrate widely distributed among plants. It is the chief storage form of carbohydrates in plants.. It has 75-90% of the sweetness of table sugar.
Safety Information
When used in foods, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permits a claim that compared to food containing sugar, foods containing Maltitol may reduce the risk of cavities in the teeth. Short and long-term safety studies of Maltitol and Maltitol Laurate have been reviewed by the Cosmetic Ingredient ReviewThe Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) was established in 1976 as an independent safety review program for cosmetic ingredients. The CIR Expert Panel consists of independent experts in dermatology, toxicology, pharmacolgy and veterinary medicine. The CIR includes participation by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the Consumer Federation of America. (CIR) Expert Panel. In their review, the CIR Expert Panel identified no issues of concern for either ingredient.
CIR Safety Review:
Maltitol is highly water soluble so the CIR Expert Panel expects dermal penetration to be very low. Maltitol was not an eye or skin irritant. Sugar alcohols, including Maltitol, at oral doses much larger than those associated with cosmetics, cause diarrhea. Oral doses of Maltitol were not carcinogenic, and did not cause reproductive or developmental toxicity. Maltitol did not cause mutagenic effects in in vitroExperiments performed in a test tube or another artificial, controlled environment, rather than in a whole animal. assays. The CIR Expert Panel has also reviewed the safety of Lauric Acid and found it safe for use in cosmetic and personal care products. Please search this site for Lauric Acid for more information about the safety of this ingredient. Based on the safety information on Maltitol and the safety of Lauric Acid, the CIR Expert Panel concluded that Maltitol and Maltitol Laurate are safe for use in cosmetic and personal care products.
FDA:
Link to Code of Federal Regulations for Maltitol: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr…
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) has reviewed the safety data on Maltitol and concluded that Maltitol is safe for use in food. JECFA has not placed a limit on the use of Maltitol in food, which is the safest category in which JECFA can place a food additive.
Link to the summary of the JECFA evaluation of Maltitol: http://jecfa.ilsi.org/evaluation.cfm?chemical=MALTITOL
Maltitol and Maltitol Laurate may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European UnionUnder the general provisions of the cosmetics regulation of the EU, ingredients appearing on the following function-specific annexes must comply with the listed restrictions and/or specifications: colorants (Annex IV), preservatives (Annex V), UV filters (Annex VI) and other ingredients with specific concentration limits and/or other restrictions (Annex III). Ingredients specifically prohibited from use in cosmetic products are listed in Annex II. Other ingredients listed in the EU cosmetic ingredient database (CosIng) may be used without restrictions..
Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation: http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_packaging/co0013_en.htm
More Scientific Information
Malitol is in a class of chemicals called polyols. Polyols contain three or more hydroxyl (-OH) groups per molecule. Other examples of polyols include fructose, glucose, lactose, maltose, mannitol, sorbitol, sucrose (table sugar) and xylitol.
Resources
Find out more about the regulation of Food Additives by the Food and Drug Administration
Food Ingredients and Packaging: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/default.htm
Food Contact Substances: http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/PackagingFCS/default.htm
Substances Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS“GRAS” is an acronym for the phrase Generally Recognized As Safe. Under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), any substance that is intentionally added to food is a food additive, that is subject to premarket review and approval by FDA, unless the substance is generally recognized, among qualified experts, as having been adequately shown to be safe under the conditions of its intended use, or unless the use of the substance is otherwise excluded from the definition of a food additive.): http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/default.htm
Search the Code of Federal Regulations http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm
EU Cosmetics Inventory http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/