Sorbitol

Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol that is used in skincare as a hydrating and moisturizing agent. Sorbitol also functions as a thickener, improving the texture of formulations.
Sorbitol also acts as a prebiotic ingredient, helping to feed the naturally occurring bacteria on the skin. The skin has a natural microbiome that helps to protect the skin from harmful bacteria and infection.It is sweet but is poorly absorbed by the body and this makes it useful as a sugar substitute.

• Skin care: It is a humectant that attracts water to the top most layer of the skin and locks it there to keep it moisturized for longer periods of time. It is also a skin-calming antioxidant that breaks down certain probiotics in the skin to create beta-glucan. It also enhances the texture of the products and thickens them to make them more spreadable. Further, Sorbitol has the ability to stabilize the formulations and also preserve them.
• Hair care: It is added to hair care products to keep the shafts hydrated and away from damage and frizz. It also adds elasticity to the hair to improve their tensile strength and prevent them from breakage.
• Oral care: sorbitol also has anti-caries properties and is mostly used in toothpaste products. Sugar is the main cause of dental caries. Certain microorganisms in the oral cavity can ferment sugar to produce acid, which then destroys the enamel on the tooth surface, thereby causing dental caries. However, sorbitol cannot be digested by microorganisms in the oral cavity (the corresponding enzyme is lacking), so it cannot form acid and cause damage to teeth.