Hydroxyethylpiperazine Ethane Sulfonic Acid

Hydroxyethylpiperazine ethane sulfonic acid is used in cosmetic products as a pH adjuster. As an acid, this ingredient will decrease the pH of a skincare product, which is useful for activating certain thickeners or for neutralizing high pH levels.

Hydroxyethylpiperazine ethane sulfonic acid also serves as a buffer, which is a specific type of pH adjusting ingredient that resists pH change. Specifically, this ingredient is useful for buffering around a pH of 7.5, which is slightly above neutral.

Although this ingredient can degrade into hydrogen peroxide under ambient light, it does perform better than bicarbonate buffers when exposed to the carbon dioxide in air.