Valine
molecular structure · PubChem
AKA: L-valine, 72-18-4, (S)-Valine, (2S)-2-amino-3-methylbutanoic acid, (S)-2-Amino-3-methylbutanoic acid, 2-Amino-3-methylbutyric acid, (S)-2-Amino-3-methylbutyric acid, Valina, L-alpha-Amino-beta-methylbutyric acid
Synthetic
Skin Conditioner
Hair Care
Amino Acid
Clean
Valine (abbreviated as Val or V) is an -amino acid with the chemical formula HO2CCH(NH2)CH(CH3)2. It is named after the plant valerian. L-Valine is one of 20 proteinogenic amino acids. Its codons are GUU, GUC, GUA, and GUG. This essential amino acid is classified as nonpolar. Along with leucine and isoleucine, valine is a branched-chain amino acid. Branched chain amino acids (BCAA) are essential amino acids whose carbon structure is marked by a branch point. These three amino acids are critical to human life and are particularly involved in stress, energy and muscle metabolism. BCAA supplementation as therapy, both oral and intravenous, in human health and disease holds great promise. BCAA denotes valine, isoleucine and leucine which are branched chain essential amino acids. Despite their structural similarities, the branched amino acids have different metabolic routes, with valine going solely to carbohydrates, leucine solely to fats and isoleucine to both. The different metabolism ac
Effective at 0.5%
Solubility 58500
Formula
C5H11NO2
Mol. Weight
117.15
CAS #
516-06-3, 640-68-6, 72-18-4
Form
Powder
State
Solid; [Merck Index] White powder; [Sigma-Aldrich MSDS]
Functions
Antistatic
Hair Conditioning
A catch-all term for ingredients that improve how skin looks and feels — softer, smoother, more supple. The workhorse behind most moisturizers.
Skin Conditioning
A catch-all term for ingredients that improve how skin looks and feels — softer, smoother, more supple. The workhorse behind most moisturizers.
Locks in moisture
Traditional Use
An essential amino acid identified in the late 19th century. Used in contemporary cosmetics for its skin-conditioning properties and role in maintaining skin barrier function.
EWG
1
CIR
Safe as used
Pregnancy
Yes
CIR Safety Findings
Not Phototoxic
medical-approval
all-shades-safe
Concentration Guide
0.0004%
1.0%
0%1%
Reported use
CIR reported use: 0.0005-1 | 0.0004-1
Regulatory Agencies
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
General
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
The paper trail
🔬Peer-reviewed1 paper →
⚖️Regulatory1 listing →
🛡️Safety-assessed2 reviews →
Counts, not a verdict. A listing isn't a study. The trail, you decide.
Verified Jun 2026
Data: PubChem · CosIng · EWG · CIR