Palmitoyl glycine is glycine, the smallest amino acid, joined to palmitic acid. The result is a lipoamino acid: part amino acid, part fatty acid.
Why the combination
Glycine on its own is water-soluble and very small. Palmitic acid is a saturated fatty acid found in the skin's own barrier lipids.
Joining them produces a molecule with affinity for both the aqueous and lipid environments. That amphiphilic character is what allows it to interact with the barrier rather than sitting on top of it, and it is the same principle behind palmitoyl peptides.
How it works
Two effects are usually described.
Sebum. Palmitoyl glycine is studied for effects on sebum production and on the appearance of enlarged pores. Since visible pore size is partly a function of how much sebum is filling and distending the follicular opening, the two are related.
Barrier and soothing. Being structurally related to the skin's own lipids, it is proposed to contribute to barrier organisation. Research has also reported anti-inflammatory activity, which is why it appears in formulations for reactive skin rather than only in oil-control products.
That combination is unusual. Most sebum-regulating ingredients are drying or irritating, which makes them poorly suited to skin that is both oily and sensitive. Palmitoyl glycine is used where both are present.
The evidence
Research is largely from ingredient manufacturers, which is the norm in this area. Independent replication is limited.
The delivery question that applies to peptides applies here too, though palmitoyl glycine is a small molecule and lipophilic, both of which help.
In formulation
Used at low concentrations, stable, and compatible with most other ingredients. Its position in an ingredient list is a reasonable indicator of how central it is to a formula.
