HUMECTANT AND SKIN CARE PREPARATION FOR EXTERNAL USE CONTAINING THE SAME

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a humectant that is highly safe to the human body and has excellent effects, and to provide a skin care preparation for external use containing the humectant. SOLUTION: The humectant comprises an acidic xylooligosaccharide as an active ingredient. The acidic xylooligosaccharide is a mixed composition of xylooligosaccharides having different polymerization degrees of xylose and has≥2 and≤5 average polymerization degrees. The xylooligosaccharide composition is readily obtained by enzymically and/or physicochemically treating a lignocellulose material to give a complex of a xylooligosaccharide component and a lignin component and then hydrolyzing the complex with an acid. The humectant is formulated with a skin care preparation for external use and used. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI