Phytokeratin is a plant-derived alternative to keratin. You’ll find it in hair treatments and formulas for eyelashes and eyebrows. What benefits does this ingredient bring to hair and follicles? Learn how in this article.
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Hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows: benefits of phytokeratin?
Summary
- A closer look at keratin in hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows
- Phytokeratin, a plant-based active ingredient for hair, eyelash, and eyebrow care?
- Sources
Published July 26, 2022,
updated on July 18, 2025,
by
Sandrine, Scientific Editor
—
5 min read
≈ 95%
Hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows consist of keratin.
50 to 100 g
This is the weight a single hair fiber can support.
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A closer look at keratin in hair, eyelashes, and eyebrows.
Keratin is a fibrous protein organized in hierarchical structures, forming microfibrils in the cortex of hair, eyelashes, eyebrows, and other body hair. This structured organization underlies the strength of hair. In theory, if the scalp allowed, a head with about 120,000 hairs could support a weight of 12 metric tons. Keratin consists of amino acid chains with a high proportion of cysteine, a sulfur-containing amino acid. The thiol groups (–SH) of cysteine can oxidize to form disulfide bonds (–S–S–), which act as bridges between keratin chains. These disulfide bonds are essential for fiber cohesion and stability.
Keratin is abundant in the cuticle, the outer layer of hair, lashes, and brows. Composed of flattened keratinized cells, the cuticle acts as a protective barrier. The alignment of these cells is essential: when disrupted, the fiber becomes more vulnerable. External factors such as UV rays, heat, or chemical treatments can degrade keratin, disrupt cuticle cohesion, and promote dehydration, breakage, or even shedding of body hair and scalp hair.
Did you know? Keratin’s disulfide bonds can be modified. This principle underlies hair relaxers and perms. These treatments break disulfide bonds to reshape hair fibers, which are then fixed during reoxidation.
The importance of keratin for hair, lashes, and eyebrows.
Source: KWON I. K. et al. Human hair keratin and its biomaterials for biomedical applications. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (2014).
Phytokeratin, a plant-based active ingredient for hair, eyelash, and eyebrow care?
Keratin underpins hair and scalp integrity. However, it is animal-derived (found in feathers, wool, hooves), which may deter some people. To address this, phytokeratin was developed. It is a natural alternative obtained through hydrolysis of plant proteins, such as wheat or almond, and has an amino acid profile close to that of animal keratin. By biomimicry, it may reproduce animal keratin’s effects.
However, it is important to note that phytokeratin is a recent active ingredient in the skincare field. To date, no clinical study has assessed its effects on hair fibers or on eyelash and eyebrow hairs. However, its biochemical similarity to animal keratin suggests it could offer similar benefits and could hydrate lashes, brows, and hair. Indeed, phytokeratin contains several hydrophilic amino acids, including glutamine, serine, and threonine, which can bind to the surface of hair fibers or shafts and form a protective film. Better protected, fibers are less prone to breakage.
Besides its moisturizing properties, phytokeratin may offer broader protection against environmental aggressors such as UV rays. No study has yet evaluated this effect for phytokeratin, but results with a hydrolyzed form of animal keratin support certain hypotheses. A recent study highlighted photoprotective effects of hydrolyzed keratin on hair fiber. Researchers exposed hair strands to continuous irradiation simulating accelerated solar aging after pre-treating them or not with a solution containing hydrolyzed keratin. Untreated strands showed a significant loss of mechanical strength (−14.32% tensile strength), while treated strands resisted this degradation and saw their rigidity increase by 21.66% after exposure. Even if phytokeratin differs from animal keratin, it also consists of small-chain amino acids from a hydrolysis process, so it may have a comparable effect.
Phytokeratin could form a protective film on fiber surfaces that absorbs UV radiation and, as it degrades, releases peptide fragments that penetrate fibers to reinforce their internal structure.
Photoprotection of hair by hydrolyzed keratin.
Source: Chang K. et al. Performance and mechanism of hydrolyzed keratin in preventing hair photoaging. Molecules (2025).
Sources
KWON I. K. & al. Human hair keratin and its-based biomaterials for biomedical applications. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (2014).
MEYERS M. A. & al. Structure and mechanical behavior of human hair. Materials Science and Engineering (2017).
HWANG Y.-S. & al. Keratin-mediated hair growth and its underlying biological mechanism. Communications Biology (2022).
CHANG K. & al. Performance and mechanism of hydrolyzed keratin for hair photoaging prevention. Molecules (2025).
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