Bromelain ●
TL;DR. This ingredient functions primarily as an enzymatic exfoliant. It helps break down surface proteins in the stratum corneum, supporting smoother texture in masks, peels, cleansers, and polishing products.
What does Bromelain do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient functions primarily as an enzymatic exfoliant. It helps break down surface proteins in the stratum corneum, supporting smoother texture in masks, peels, cleansers, and polishing products.
Is Bromelain clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, this ingredient is generally acceptable when used at controlled levels, but it has more irritation and sensitization potential than inert exfoliants because it is protein-active. It is most compatible with clean standards when the source, carrier, and preservatives are transparent and the formula is designed for limited contact time.
Is Bromelain sustainable?
This material is typically plant-derived, often sourced from fruit or stem processing streams, and it is readily biodegradable as a protein-based ingredient. Its sustainability profile depends mainly on agricultural sourcing, extraction efficiency, and drying or stabilization energy.
Is Bromelain COSMOS-approved?
It can be permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when derived from approved plant material and processed with allowed methods, with non-GMO requirements where relevant. It fits Green Chemistry reasonably well because it comes from renewable biomass, is biodegradable, and can be produced through relatively mild extraction and purification steps.
How does Bromelain work chemically?
The material is a mixture of cysteine endopeptidases and related proteins that hydrolyze peptide bonds, which is why it can soften compacted surface keratin. It is commonly used at low levels, often around 0.1% to 1% of the commercial enzyme preparation, and activity is sensitive to heat, extreme pH, oxidizers, and incompatible preservatives or metal ions.
Last updated 2026-05-13