Hydrolyzed Keratin Powder

Is Hydrolyzed Keratin a Protein?

Hydrolyzed keratin (HK) is not completely equivalent to intact protein. Taking natural macromolecular keratin as the raw material, it is a mixture of small molecular peptides and free amino acids obtained by breaking peptide bonds through hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis. As a degradation product of keratin, it retains the basic nutritional structure and activity of protein yet features a smaller molecular weight and higher water solubility and is no longer a structurally complete natural macromolecular protein.

These small-molecule peptides can penetrate the skin and hair barriers to achieve efficient permeation and nourishing effects. Featuring mild skin-friendliness, high biocompatibility, and outstanding repairing performance, hydrolyzed keratin is widely applied in daily washing and care products, skincare, makeup, pet care, and many other fields, serving as a classic natural functional raw material in the daily chemical industry.

Healthkintai^® attaches great importance to the production and R&D of skincare ingredients. Hydrolyzed keratin powder is our core skincare ingredient, with complete specifications ranging from 80% to 99% purity. Feel free to contact us at health@kintaibio.com for more details.

The United States FDA

In the United States, hydrolyzed keratin is recognized as a safe cosmetic raw material by FDA and CIR. It is classified as GRAS with no mandatory pre-market approval. Formulations must follow recommended usage limits, adopt standardized GMP production, and meet daily chemical raw material safety specifications for commercial sales.

The EU

The EU approves animal-derived hydrolyzed keratin for cosmetic use under the EU cosmetic regulation. It requires complete safety assessment and PIF documentation. Human-sourced keratin is subject to strict process restrictions, while raw materials must comply with biocompatibility and impurity control standards to ensure market compliance.

Japan

Hydrolyzed keratin is included in Japan's official cosmetic ingredient list and legally allowed for skin and hair care products. It is regulated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, with strict controls on heavy metals, microorganisms and related impurities, and must meet local cosmetic safety benchmarks for sale.

Our hydrolyzed keratin powder is mainly made from carefully selected animal-derived natural keratin tissues, utilizing safe and compliant natural by-products such as feathers, wool, hooves, horns and animal hair. In strict compliance with EU regulations on raw material sources, we completely prohibit the use of any human-derived ingredients to ensure full regulatory compliance and product safety.

During production, raw materials undergo refined pretreatment including cleaning, degreasing and impurity removal. Advanced technologies such as high-temperature hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis and targeted acid-base cleavage are applied to break the peptide bonds of macromolecular keratin. The materials then go through filtration, decolorization, deodorization, concentration, purification and drying refinement, resulting in HK composed of small-molecule peptides and amino acids. Custom specifications with different purity and molecular weight are available to meet diverse application requirements.

Hydrolyzed Keratin for Hair

HK is broken down into small-molecule peptides and amino acids through hydrolysis. With a smaller molecular weight, it can quickly penetrate into hair cuticles and the hair cortex, replenishing natural keratin lost due to perming, dyeing, high heat and friction. It repairs hollow structures inside the hair strands, strengthens hair fibers, and fundamentally alleviates fragile hair and hair breakage.

 

Meanwhile, hydrolyzed keratin forms a lightweight and breathable protective film on the hair surface to seal raised cuticles, reduce moisture loss, and shield hair from external irritants such as ultraviolet rays, high-temperature heat and chemical residues. It effectively calms frizzy hair, mends split ends and tangles, enhances hair smoothness and luster, and keeps hair moisturized, strong and healthy for a long time.

Hydrolyzed Keratin for Skin

Hydrolyzed keratin strengthens the skin barrier and boosts moisture retention from within by replenishing structural proteins and natural moisturizing factors in the stratum corneum. Rich in hydrophilic amino acids such as glycine and proline, its small-molecule peptides penetrate into the gaps of the stratum corneum to replenish filaggrin and keratin frameworks, enhancing adhesion between keratinocytes. Meanwhile, it stimulates keratinocytes to produce natural moisturizing factors, effectively reducing transepidermal water loss, relieving dryness, roughness and sensitivity, and leaving the skin hydrated, soft and resilient.

 

Meanwhile, HK delivers antioxidant repair and anti-aging firming benefits. Cysteine residues in its composition directly scavenge free radicals and activate the Nrf2 antioxidant pathway, elevating the levels of SOD and glutathione to mitigate UV radiation and oxidative damage. It also repairs damaged keratin structures through disulfide bond cross-linking, promotes the synthesis of collagen and elastin, improves skin elasticity and firmness, fades fine lines, delays skin aging, and maintains a smooth, delicate and radiant complexion.

Hydrolyzed Keratin for Nails

Hydrolyzed keratin is a core homologous nutrient that forms the nail plate and the surface layer of the nail bed. It is highly compatible with the protein structure of nails themselves and can be quickly absorbed by the nail surface, fundamentally improving various fragile nail problems. Healthy nails are mainly composed of hard keratin. Frequent manicures, dryness and nutrient loss in daily life will lead to the loss of nail keratin and loose structure, resulting in peeling, cracking, brittleness and splitting, uneven and dull nail surfaces, thin and soft nails prone to curling, and frequent hangnails.

 

Hydrolyzed keratin can directly fill tiny gaps and keratin defects on the nail surface, repair the damaged nail cuticle, strengthen the nail fiber structure, improve the toughness and hardness of the nail plate, and reduce transverse cracks, vertical fine lines and breakage and shedding of nails.

Used in the Hair Products and Cosmetics

Representing the core application field of hydrolyzed keratin, this ingredient is widely incorporated into hair care, skincare, and skin-friendly makeup products. With a small-molecule peptide structure, it can penetrate the surface of hair and skin to replenish keratin nutrients, repair hair disulfide bonds, and strengthen the skin barrier. It also delivers multiple benefits, including moisturization, soothing relief, antioxidant activity, brightening and elasticity improvement, anti-static properties, and film-forming protection, meeting diverse needs such as sensitive skin repair and damaged hair restoration after perming and dyeing, as well as daily moisturizing and anti-aging care.

Used in Animal Food

Produced through the hydrolysis of waste materials such as poultry feathers, hydrolyzed keratin is a high-quality protein raw material with a balanced amino acid profile. It serves as an excellent additive in livestock, poultry, aquaculture, and pet feeds. It can partially replace conventional protein sources to reduce breeding costs while promoting animal growth and development, enhancing immunity, improving the coat condition and luster of livestock and poultry, and ultimately raising overall breeding quality and economic benefits.

   Reference: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1359511324002538

Used in the Functional Foods and Dietary Supplements

Food-grade hydrolyzed keratin is rich in characteristic nutrients such as cysteine and branched-chain amino acids. It has gradually entered the oral beauty and sports nutrition markets and is commonly added to beauty tablets, nutritional beverages, protein meal replacements and other products. Long-term intake helps nourish hair and nails, assist in skin conditioning, and support the body's antioxidant capacity and overall physical function stability.

Combined with the multiple benefits and extensive application scenarios of hydrolyzed keratin introduced earlier, we believe you have formed a clear conception and development direction for your upcoming products. The cornerstone of developing a high-quality product lies in strict raw material quality control.

We are pleased to recommend Healthkintai^® to you. Focused on the R&D and production of natural skincare raw materials, we have long specialized in hydrolyzed keratin as our flagship core product. With consistent premium quality and comprehensive services, we have earned recognition and trust from numerous partners at home and abroad.

In terms of product purity, we fully accommodate the R&D and production needs of diverse clients, offering purity specifications ranging from 80% to 99%. Our materials perfectly match your demands, whether for basic formulation in daily skincare items or core compounding in high-end functional products. Every batch undergoes rigorous factory inspection, with corresponding COA and MSDS documents provided to clearly specify ingredients, purity, test indicators and other key parameters, ensuring full transparency of raw material quality and safe application.

For quality management, we adhere to stringent industry standards. Our production workshops and operational processes fully comply with GMP guidelines, supported by a professional testing team and advanced inspection equipment to prevent non-conforming products from entering the market. We also hold complete qualification certifications, all available for your review at any time.

Furthermore, we boast years of extensive export experience and in-depth familiarity with customs clearance policies and procedures worldwide. Our dedicated international trade team delivers one-stop customs clearance assistance, resolving challenges in customs declaration and inspection. This ensures timely and smooth delivery of raw materials, effectively improving procurement efficiency and reducing your cross-border cooperation costs. Contact us at health@kintaibio.com to cooperate with us.

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