Topical gel and skin

What is sold

Carnosine appears in skin creams marketed for anti-ageing, and in a topical gel marketed to athletes in Australia and the United States. In Australia, carnosine is permitted in listed medicines only as an excipient in topical skin products at 0.2 per cent or less, so topical carnosine products are sold as cosmetics rather than as medicines. See Status in Australia.

What has been published

The published evidence for carnosine applied to the skin is thin. The database holds the studies tagged “skin” and “topical”; see Skin and gel for the current list. Laboratory and animal work on carnosine’s anti-glycation chemistry is the usual basis given for skin products. Whether carnosine applied to the skin reaches the muscle underneath, and in what amount, has not been shown in a published human study held in this database.

EFSA assessed and did not accept a health claim for carnosine and skin in 2011 (EFSA Journal 2011). See Other countries.

This page is updated as studies are added. Suggest one through the contact page.