Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer
Ingredient Info
Lactic Acid/Glycolic Acid Copolymer (PLGA) is a biodegradable synthetic polymer made from two common chemical building blocks. In skincare, it's primarily used as a delivery system to help active ingredients penetrate the skin more effectively, rather than as an active ingredient itself.
Benefits
- Improves skin penetration of active ingredients
- Biodegradable and breaks down naturally in the body
- Enables more effective delivery of peptides and other actives to skin cells
Potential concerns
- Limited safety data specific to topical skincare use
- May cause irritation in sensitive individuals depending on formulation and concentration
- Research on this ingredient in cosmetics is minimal; most data comes from pharmaceutical and cancer research contexts
Science: Published research on this ingredient focuses on its use as a drug delivery system in cancer therapeutics rather than cosmetic skincare. No peer-reviewed studies specifically evaluate its safety or efficacy in topical skincare products for everyday consumers.
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