Silk Amino Acids

About This Product

Silk amino acids are produced by hydrolysing silk fibroin from Bombyx mori cocoons all the way to its constituent free amino acids, principally glycine, alanine and serine. The material carries CAS number 96690-41-4 and the INCI name Hydrolyzed Silk, and is supplied as a fine powder or aqueous solution. The silk-derived ingredients form a molecular weight ladder, and where a material sits on it determines what it does. Fully hydrolysed amino acids are the smallest, typically under 200 daltons. They are freely water-soluble, carry multiple polar groups and function as humectants, binding water at the skin and hair surface, and they are small enough to penetrate the hair cuticle rather than sitting on it, which is the basis of their use in repair and strengthening claims for damaged hair. What they cannot do is form a film: a free amino acid has no chain to entangle with its neighbours, so the substantivity and smoothing that larger silk fractions provide are absent. Formulators therefore choose amino acids for penetration and moisture binding, and peptides or powder where surface effects are wanted. They are used in hair repair and conditioning, skin care and serums, colour protection products, cleansers and in nail care. Bio Green Chem supplies silk amino acids to specification on nitrogen and amino acid content, molecular weight, appearance, pH, ash and microbiology.