Glutamic Acid Good Humectant Hydration Glutamic Acid at a glance An amino acid that aids in hydrating and conditioning skin Naturally present in the human body as well Can be derived from animals and plants, but the synthetic form is typically used in cosmetics Deemed safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel Glutamic Acid description Glutamic acid is an amino acid that aids in hydrating and conditioning skin. In cosmetic formulas, glutamic acid is typically synthetic, although it can also be derived from animals and plants. It’s considered a non-essential amino acid since it naturally occurs in the human body. Glutamic acid takes the form of crystals as a raw cosmetic material. It is related to the increasingly popular humectant polyglutamic acid, which is essentially multiple glutamic acid molecules bound together. Glutamic acid has been deemed safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review. Their assessment surveyed 308 products containing concentrations between 0.000004-2%. Related ingredients: Amino Acids