Allantoin on an ingredient list: what Cleveland Clinic and Healthline say

Reviewed October 17, 2026

The short answer

Allantoin is a compound your body makes and some plants contain, and it is a very common additive in creams and cosmetics. Cleveland Clinic presents it as a gentle moisturizing ingredient that is not known to irritate. Healthline agrees it has few known risks, but adds that evidence for several popular claims is limited or missing.

Where it comes from

Cleveland Clinic says the body produces allantoin and that it can also be derived from plants such as comfrey. The kind in lotions and lipsticks is more likely made synthetically, per the dermatologist it interviewed. Healthline likewise says it is often extracted from comfrey but can be made in a lab.

What the sources say it does

• Moisturizing. Cleveland Clinic calls it a humectant that pulls water up toward the surface, and also hygroscopic, meaning it draws moisture from humid air. Healthline cites a 2016 review saying that although it is marketed for moisture, there is not much evidence for the claim.
• Softening dead skin. Cleveland Clinic says it has a keratolytic effect that softens skin proteins. Healthline says no peer-reviewed studies back the claim that it exfoliates.
• Offsetting dryness from other ingredients. Cleveland Clinic says its moisturizing effect may counter dryness from things such as alcohols, sulfates and fragrance.
• Wound care. Healthline says a 2017 report found too little evidence to support healing claims.
• Scars. Healthline mentions a 2010 study of a gel with allantoin and two other ingredients, applied two times daily across 24 weeks, that helped skin lesions, and quotes a dermatologist saying it is not a cure-all.
• Dark spots. A dermatologist quoted by Healthline says there is no peer-reviewed evidence it helps with hyperpigmentation.

Tolerance

Cleveland Clinic says it is not known to be irritating and appears in products for sensitive skin and for babies and kids. It adds that when combined with other exfoliating ingredients, a routine could cause redness or irritation, because of the combined effect of the products rather than the allantoin itself. Its suggestion is to introduce new products singly and give it several weeks before judging the result. Healthline says that because it may soothe and carries few known risks, almost anyone could use it.

How to read it on a label

US cosmetic labels generally list ingredients in descending order of amount, but anything at 1% or less can appear in any order after those above 1%. Its position does not tell you the exact concentration. Judge the whole product, how it feels on your skin, and what changes when you add or drop it.

What not to conclude

This page does not say allantoin will fix dryness, scars or dullness for you. The two sources disagree on how much is proven. If a product with it irritates your skin, stop using it and ask a dermatologist.