Home Ingredients Cosmoperine® (Tetrahydropiperine — Sabinsa)
Hair, Skin & Nails

Cosmoperine® (Tetrahydropiperine — Sabinsa)

Piper nigrum
Evidence Level
Preliminary
1 Clinical Trial
4 Documented Benefits
1/5 Evidence Score

Cosmoperine® is a standardized tetrahydropiperine ingredient developed by Sabinsa. It is made by hydrogenating piperine from black pepper (Piper nigrum), so it is a saturated derivative of piperine and not piperine itself, which is what separates it from BioPerine®. It is a cosmetic ingredient applied to skin, not an oral supplement. Its INCI name is tetrahydropiperine and it is used at roughly 0.001 to 0.1 percent in creams and lotions to help a co-formulated active cross the skin barrier. The penetration figures the manufacturer promotes come from its own laboratory diffusion work reported in trade articles and patents. Independent published work on tetrahydropiperine is laboratory and animal only, and no human trial has tested it for any health outcome by any route.

Studied Dose No oral dose has been established. In cosmetics it is used on skin at roughly 0.001 to 0.1 percent of the finished formulation.
Active Compound Tetrahydropiperine (a saturated analogue of piperine, produced by hydrogenating piperine from black pepper; it also occurs naturally in long pepper)

Benefits

Topical / Cosmetic Penetration Enhancement

In laboratory diffusion and skin model work reported by the manufacturer, tetrahydropiperine increased how much of a co-formulated cosmetic active crossed the skin barrier. Those results appear in trade articles and patents rather than indexed peer reviewed journals, and no human trial has measured the effect.

Supported by Trial 1

Distinguished from BioPerine for Topical Use

Tetrahydropiperine is made for skin application, while BioPerine is a piperine ingredient taken by mouth. They are different compounds used by different routes, so the oral piperine research does not carry over to this ingredient.

Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Active Enhancement

The manufacturer reports greater skin permeation of actives such as vitamin C, beta-carotene, green tea polyphenols and tetrahydrocurcuminoids in laboratory models. Helping a medicine cross the skin is a drug delivery function rather than a nutritional one, and it has not been tested in people.

Supported by Trial 1

Patented Sabinsa Form

Cosmoperine is a patented Sabinsa ingredient. A patent covers commercial rights and manufacturing method and says nothing about whether the ingredient works or how well.

Supported by Trial 1

Mechanism of action

1

Skin Permeation Enhancement

Tetrahydropiperine is fat soluble and is thought to loosen the lipid packing of the stratum corneum, the outer barrier layer of skin, so co-formulated actives pass through more readily. This mechanism is proposed from laboratory permeation work and has not been confirmed in people.

2

Reduced Pungency vs Piperine

Saturating the two double bonds of piperine removes the pungent, burning character piperine has, which is why the derivative is preferred on skin. The manufacturer reports no skin or eye irritation at 0.01 and 0.1 percent, though independent irritation data are limited.

3

Stable in Cosmetic Formulations

The manufacturer reports better formulation stability than piperine. This is a supplier specification, not a published finding.

Clinical trials

1
Manufacturer permeation studies (not peer reviewed)

Permeation work reported by Sabinsa in trade publications and patents. None of it is indexed in PubMed, so the methods and results cannot be checked independently.

Laboratory diffusion cell and skin model work, plus company skin tolerance evaluations. No published human efficacy trial.

The company reports greater penetration of actives including green tea polyphenols, forskolin and tetrahydrocurcuminoids in laboratory models. These are supplier figures that have not been published or independently verified.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

This is a cosmetic ingredient meant to be applied to skin, not swallowed. There is no human safety data for taking tetrahydropiperine by mouth.
Mild skin irritation rare.
Allergic reactions rare.
Patch test recommended for sensitive skin.

Important Drug interactions

Applied to skin at cosmetic levels, systemic drug interactions are unlikely, but this has not been formally studied.
Enhancing the absorption of co-applied topical medicines is what this ingredient is designed to do, so it is more than a theoretical concern. In the manufacturer's laboratory testing it roughly doubled skin penetration of the steroid betamethasone dipropionate. Ask a pharmacist or doctor before layering it with prescription creams.
Pregnancy: no safety studies have been done on this ingredient. Check with your clinician.
Breastfeeding: no safety studies have been done on this ingredient. Check with your clinician.

More Hair, Skin & Nails Ingredients

Hair, Skin & Nails
Niacin
Niacin (vitamin B3) is an essential water-soluble vitamin central to energy metabolism, DN…
Hair, Skin & Nails
Bovine Collagen
Bovine collagen is hydrolyzed collagen sourced from cow hide, bone, and cartilage. It is o…
Hair, Skin & Nails
Marine Collagen
Marine collagen is hydrolyzed collagen sourced from fish skin and scales — predominantly T…
Hair, Skin & Nails
Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin is a red-orange antioxidant carotenoid best known for its skin-protective effe…

Explore Other Ingredients

Antioxidant
Alpha Lipoic Acid
Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is a versatile antioxidant made naturally in the body that is unus…
Hair, Skin & Nails
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in the body, primarily found in connect…
Immune Support
Vitamin C
Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) is a water-soluble essential nutrient that humans cannot synth…

Frequently asked questions about Cosmoperine® (Tetrahydropiperine — Sabinsa)

What is Cosmoperine?

Cosmoperine® is a standardized tetrahydropiperine ingredient developed by Sabinsa. It is made by hydrogenating piperine from black pepper (Piper nigrum), so it is a saturated derivative of piperine and not piperine itself, which is what separates it from BioPerine®.

What is Cosmoperine used for?

Cosmoperine is researched primarily for Hair, Skin & Nails. In laboratory diffusion and skin model work reported by the manufacturer, tetrahydropiperine increased how much of a co-formulated cosmetic active crossed the skin barrier.

What is the recommended dosage of Cosmoperine?

The clinically studied dose is No oral dose has been established. In cosmetics it is used on skin at roughly 0.001 to 0.1 percent of the finished formulation. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is Cosmoperine safe, and does it have side effects?

For most healthy adults, Cosmoperine is well tolerated at studied doses. Reported effects can include: This is a cosmetic ingredient meant to be applied to skin, not swallowed. There is no human safety data for taking tetrahydropiperine by mouth. Mild skin irritation rare. It may also interact with some medications. Cosmoperine is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does Cosmoperine interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: Applied to skin at cosmetic levels, systemic drug interactions are unlikely, but this has not been formally studied. Enhancing the absorption of co-applied topical medicines is what this ingredient is designed to do, so it is more than a theoretical concern. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Cosmoperine?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Cosmoperine as Preliminary (1 out of 5). It is backed by 1 clinical trial and 4 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(4 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. G Shoba, D Joy, T Joseph, M Majeed, R Rajendran, P S Srinivas Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers Planta Medica. 1998;64(4):353-6. doi:10.1055/s-2006-957450.PubMedUsed to support: Open pharmacokinetic study, not a randomized controlled trial, in rats and a small group of healthy human volunteers. Oral piperine 20 mg taken with 2 g of curcumin by mouth raised blood curcumin levels sharply, reported as a 2000 percent increase, by inhibiting glucuronidation in the liver and gut. It does not support the claims on this page. It tested piperine, not tetrahydropiperine, and it measured absorption from the gut, not passage through skin. Blocking enzymes in the liver and intestine is not a skin permeation mechanism. One of its authors, M Majeed, founded Sabinsa, the company that sells this ingredient.
  2. K Srinivasan Black pepper and its pungent principle-piperine: a review of diverse physiological effects Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2007;47(8):735-48. doi:10.1080/10408390601062054.PubMedUsed to support: Narrative review of dietary piperine, drawing mostly on rat and laboratory work, describing effects including inhibition of hepatic and intestinal drug-metabolising enzymes, establishing black pepper alkaloids as potent bioavailability enhancers of co-administered compounds. It does not support the topical claims on this page. It is about piperine in the diet, and the bioavailability findings it reviews concern the gut and the liver rather than the skin. Whether tetrahydropiperine inhibits the same drug metabolising enzymes has not been published, so it should not be assumed.
  3. Faas L, Venkatasamy R, Hider RC, et al. In vivo evaluation of piperine and synthetic analogues as potential treatments for vitiligo using a sparsely pigmented mouse model. Br J Dermatol. 2008;158(5):941-50..PubMedUsed to support: Tetrahydropiperine applied to the skin of sparsely pigmented mice twice daily produced a pigmentation response with little inflammation, and a stronger response when combined with ultraviolet light. Read it with care: this is the only PubMed indexed in vivo study that tested tetrahydropiperine on skin, but it is a mouse study in a vitiligo model, it measured pigmentation rather than penetration enhancement, it did not test Cosmoperine, and it supports no claim about a supplement.
  4. Madhusudhan P, Vandana KL Tetrahydropiperine, the first natural aryl pentanamide from Piper longum. Biochem Syst Ecol. 2001;29(5):537-538..PubMedUsed to support: Short phytochemistry report identifying tetrahydropiperine as a naturally occurring constituent of long pepper. It substantiates only the statement about where the compound occurs in nature, and it measured no health outcome in animals or people.