# Does dexpanthenol help soothe my skin?

> The healing ingredient that keeps moisture locked in  Your skin needs water to function on a basic level, let alone undergo significant improvements. Dramati...

Source: https://support.withagency.com/en_us/does-dexpanthenol-help-soothe-my-skin-r1iRmnOnu

Last updated: 2026-08-25T06:20:24.715Z

## The healing ingredient that keeps moisture locked in

In a personalized prescription skincare regimen, like what you can get with Agency, high-impact ingredients like tretinoin and vitamin C tend to get the spotlight, but they’d be nowhere without a skin-supporting cast of hydrators and moisturizers. Dexpanthenol is one of those essential partners: a vitamin B5 derivative that helps your skin maintain moisture, support barrier integrity, and stay resilient.  

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### What is dexpanthenol?

Dexpanthenol is a derivative of the essential nutrient vitamin B5, aka pantothenic acid. Found in foods like salmon, avocados, and broccoli, vitamin B5 helps your body with important processes like metabolizing food into energy and producing hormones [1](#fn1). But besides ingesting the vitamin, you can apply dexpanthenol topically to help your skin function well.

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### How does dexpanthenol benefit your skin?

Topical dexpanthenol helps your skin maintain the moisture [2](#fn2) that it needs. It does double duty by both replenishing the skin and attracting water to it - meaning it acts like both an emollient and humectant, respectively. Studies show that it effectively decreases how much water evaporates from your skin,[3](#fn3) which helps your skin barrier better maintain its integrity. Your skin’s better able to protect itself from outside factors, and it feels softer and smoother.

By calming inflammation and supporting the skin’s natural cellular repair processes, dexpanthenol helps address two of the biological pathways through which skin changes over time[4](#fn4). This makes it more than a comfort ingredient; it can help play a key role in supporting how your skin ages

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### Where can you get dexpanthenol?

Preliminary evidence suggests that vitamin B5 supplements may benefit skin health, including clearing up acne [5](#fn5), but more research is still needed. You can more directly see moisturizing effects with topical dexpanthenol creams or serums. 

Your Agency provider may include dexpanthenol in your Night Renew or Eye ReviveRx. Otherwise, you can find the ingredient (or one of its relatives pantothenic acid, panthenol, or provitamin B5) in moisturizers and hydrating serums. 

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### Are there any side effects of dexpanthenol?

Dexpanthenol side effects are generally rare. Remember it’s a form of vitamin B5, which your body uses for essential functions, so an allergic reaction is unlikely [6](#fn6). And its anti-inflammatory properties help soothe irritation rather than contribute to it.

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### Want to know more about your Agency formulas?

You know your skin—we’re here to help you know your skincare. Our team of medical providers has helped create guides to each of the forward-thinking ingredients in your personalized skincare formulas. 

Learn how these ingredients also help your skin face the future: [tretinoin](https://support.agencyskin.com/article/199-ff-tretinoin), [tranexamic acid](https://support.agencyskin.com/article/196-ff-tranexamic), [azelaic acid](https://support.agencyskin.com/article/198-ff-azelaic-acid)

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  1. Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic Acid). Mount Sinai. [↩](#ref1 "Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.")  
2\. Hans Stettler, et al.  [_A New Topical Panthenol-Containing Emollient: Skin-Moisturizing Effect Following Single and Prolonged Usage in Healthy Adults, and Tolerability in Healthy Infants_](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09546634.2016.1218417)_._ Journal of Dermatological Treatment. (2016, August 22).[↩](#ref2 "Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.")  
3\. Flávio B Camargo, et al. [_Skin Moisturizing Effects of Panthenol-Based Formulations._](http://europepmc.org/article/med/21982351) Journal of Cosmetic Science. (2011, June 30). [↩](#ref3 "Jump back to footnote 3 in the text.")  
4\. Fritz Ebner, et al. [Topical Use of Dexpanthenol in Skin Disorders](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frank_Rippke/publication/11264343_Topical_Use_of_Dexpanthenol_in_Skin_Disorders/links/56d6c0c608aee1aa5f759ed1.pdf). American Journal of Clinical Dermatology. (February 2002).[↩](#ref4 "Jump back to footnote 4 in the text.")  
5\. Michael Yang, et al. _[A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of a Novel Pantothenic Acid-Based Dietary Supplement in Subjects with Mild to Moderate Facial Acne.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4065280/)_ Dermatology and Therapy. (June 2014).[↩](#ref5 "Jump back to footnote 5 in the text.")  
6\. Fritz Ebner, et al. _[Topical Use of Dexpanthenol in Skin Disorders](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Frank_Rippke/publication/11264343_Topical_Use_of_Dexpanthenol_in_Skin_Disorders/links/56d6c0c608aee1aa5f759ed1.pdf)._ Ibid. [↩](#ref6 "Jump back to footnote 6 in the text.")