Aluminum Glycinate
No meaningful concern for most people; irritation is possible but rare.
Also written as: Aluminium Glycinate · Dihydroxyaluminum Aminoacetate
What it is
Aluminum glycinate is the aluminium salt of the amino acid glycine, historically used as a gentle antacid. In cosmetics it is used at low levels as a buffering agent to hold a formula at a stable pH and for a mild astringent, pore-tightening feel. It is poorly soluble and is not an antiperspirant active.
What it does well
Stabilises formula pH
It acts as a buffer, resisting pH drift over the shelf life of a product. This is a technical function that helps other ingredients stay effective and skin-compatible.
Strong evidence
Worth knowing
Not the same as the aluminium salts debated in antiperspirants
Concerns raised about aluminium in cosmetics have centred on the soluble chlorohydrate and zirconium salts used at high levels in antiperspirants, often applied to shaved underarm skin. Aluminum glycinate is a poorly soluble salt used at low levels for pH control. It is nonetheless caught by the class limit on aluminium-containing ingredients added to Annex III in 2026, which was set on total aluminium exposure across all cosmetics rather than on any hazard specific to this salt.
Matters most toPeople actively minimising aluminium exposure, who may still prefer to avoid it.
Where the EU stands
Concentration-restricted
Restricted since 2026 as an aluminium-containing ingredient. Regulation (EU) 2026/909, in force since 18 May 2026, added Annex III entry 381, a class entry covering aluminium-containing ingredients apart from a list of named exceptions in Annexes III, IV, V and VI. Aluminum glycinate is not one of those exceptions, so it is caught. The cap is expressed as aluminium rather than as the weight of the ingredient: 10.59% (as Al) in face leave-on products and 0.89% (as Al) in face and body rinse-off products. The SCCS set these levels on the contribution cosmetics make to total systemic aluminium exposure (SCCS/1662/23), not on a hazard specific to this salt. Products that do not comply may not be placed on the EU market from 1 January 2027, nor made available from 1 July 2028, so masks on sale today are unaffected.
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex III entry 381 (added by Regulation (EU) 2026/909; printed as entry 379 in the Official Journal of 28 April 2026 and renumbered to 381 by the corrigendum at OJ L, 2026/90354, 5.5.2026) · source ↗
Sources (1)
Every link goes to the original: a journal, a PubMed record or an EU document.
- [1]Opinion on the safety of aluminium in cosmetic products - Submission IV (SCCS/1662/23)
SCCS - Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, European Commission · 2024
The SCCS concluded that aluminium compounds are safe at the maximum levels it tabulated by product category, while noting that aluminium exposure aggregated across cosmetics and food may exceed safe limits for the most highly exposed consumers. These are the levels Regulation (EU) 2026/909 wrote into Annex III entry 381.
