Characteristics
- INCI
- Biotin
- Ru.
- Vitamin H
- CAS
-
58-85-5
This is the substance number in the Chemical Abstracts Service registry. The CAS number uniquely identifies a substance regardless of language, trade name, or synonyms.
- EC
-
200-399-3
This is the substance number in the European chemical identification system (EC number), used in European regulatory databases including ECHA/CosIng.
- IUPAC
- 1H-Thieno[3,4-D]Imidazole-4-Pentanoic Acid, Hexahydro-2-Oxo-, [3As-(3A.Alpha.,4.Beta.,6A.Alpha.)]-
- Functions
- antiseborrhoeic, hair conditioning, skin conditioning
Who it's for
Description
Biotin is one of those ingredients that gets talked about like it can do everything from fixing your hair to rescuing your nails to making your skin glow before breakfast. In reality, it is a B vitamin (also called vitamin H) that your body needs to help enzymes do their job, especially in energy metabolism. If you are actually low in biotin, topping it up can make a real difference. But if your diet already covers your needs, the “extra” benefits tend to get much more dramatic in marketing than in real life.
For hair, skin, and nails, biotin’s best-known role is in people with a deficiency, which is uncommon but can happen. Low biotin has been linked to thinning hair, brittle nails, and skin changes, and supplementing can help these symptoms improve. There are plenty of “best biotin for hair growth” and “best biotin tablets for hair” searches out there, but the honest answer is that biotin is not a magic hair-growth ingredient unless your hair issues are related to deficiency. In a few small studies and case reports, biotin supplementation helped brittle nail strength over several months, but robust trials in healthy people are still pretty thin on the ground.
What about biotin supplements, biotin gummies, biotin tablets, or even biotin injections? The form matters less than whether you actually need the vitamin in the first place. Gummies and tablets are just delivery systems, and “best biotin supplement” usually means one that gives a sensible dose without loading you up on unnecessary extras. Biotin injections are generally not a standard beauty fix and are usually reserved for medical situations, not as a shortcut to better hair. The same goes for “biotin and collagen” products: collagen may have its own modest evidence for skin hydration and elasticity, but pairing it with biotin does not automatically create a super-supplement.
Biotin is also present in foods such as eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes, and some meats, so a varied diet usually covers the basics pretty well. That’s good news for both men and women, since the body’s need for biotin is not especially glamorous or gender-specific. If you are shopping for a biotin shampoo or the “best biotin shampoo for hair growth,” keep expectations realistic: biotin is a water-soluble vitamin, so a rinse-off product is unlikely to transform your follicles. In short, biotin is a genuinely useful nutrient, but its benefits are most convincing when you are deficient, not when you are hoping for a cosmetic miracle.
More detail
Also called vitamin H, biotin is the main component of many enzymes in our body. A nice ingredient to take as a supplement for stronger nails and hair. When you do not take it as a supplement its effects are a bit more questionable but according to manufacturer info it can smooth the skin and strengthen the hair.
Frequently Asked Questions about Biotin
What does biotin do for skin, hair, and nails?
Can biotin help with hair growth?
Is biotin safe to take as a supplement?
Do biotin gummies, tablets, and injections work better than food sources?
Is biotin useful for both men and women?
Products with Biotin (3 757 total)
Most often found in Filorga Laboratories products (75 items)