The ingredient, explained
Acetyl Cysteine
A placebo-controlled acne study tested acetylcysteine gel.
Ingredient guide
What it is and what it does
Acetylcysteine
About this ingredient: EU CosIng ingredient registry (via Open Beauty Facts taxonomy) ↗
- Antioxidant
- Limits oxidation, including deterioration of formulation ingredients. This label alone does not show a clinical antioxidant effect in skin.
- Skin conditioning
- A broad cosmetic role for maintaining skin condition. It does not identify a particular clinical benefit.
Function definitions: European Commission ingredient function definitions (SCCNFP/0299/00, pages 16 to 20) ↗
Registry functions describe possible formulation roles, not results for a finished product. A dictionary entry is not an approval or a safety assessment.
A closer look
What the research shows
Human topical treatment study
Comedone counts decreased more than with placebo.
What this does not tell us
Medical acne setting, 99 analyzed patients and unverified duration limit generalization.
Sources for this summary. PubMed 23346662 ↗
Research review checked Oct 1, 2026
Read exact local candidate abstracts first; select identity-relevant papers; targeted primary PubMed/publisher searches. This is not an exhaustive systematic review.
Ingredient research is not proof that a product containing this ingredient works.
Read the 1 selected study
Human topical treatment study · n=99
Topical acne treatment with acetylcysteine: clinical and experimental effects. ↗
Skinmed · 2012
Follow the formula
Products containing this ingredient
From the wider catalogue. Linked by the ingredient list, without an efficacy ranking.
Names and identifiers
Registry identity
Acetylcysteine
- INCI name on ingredient lists
- ACETYL CYSTEINE
- CAS registry number
- 616-91-1
- EC number
- 210-498-3
Sources for this ingredient record
- EU CosIng ingredient registry (via Open Beauty Facts taxonomy) ↗ · ODbL 1.0 (Open Beauty Facts database) · Recorded Aug 8, 2026