Keratin provides support and protection in your body. Your hair, nails and skin rely on the amount of keratin in your body for their overall health. Your glands and organs also contain keratin. Keratin is strong, so it won’t dissolve in diluted acids, alkalines, solvents or waters.

Keratin (/ ˈkɛrətɪn / [1][2]) is one of a family of structural fibrous proteins also known as scleroproteins. It is the key structural material making up scales, hair, nails, feathers, horns, claws, hooves, and the outer layer of skin in vertebrates. Keratin also protects epithelial cells from damage or stress.

Mar 6, 2025 · There are two main types of keratin: alpha-keratin and beta-keratin. Alpha-keratin is predominantly found in mammals, while beta-keratin is present in reptiles, birds, and some other species. Keratins exhibit tissue-specific expression patterns, giving rise to different forms with unique properties.

Applying the new consensus nomenclature, this article summarizes, for all human keratins, their cell type and tissue distribution and their functional significance in relation to transgenic mouse models and human hereditary keratin diseases.

Oct 23, 2020 · Keratin is a protein that helps maintain the structure of hair, nails, skin, and the lining of the internal organs. Certain nutrients support keratin production.

Feb 18, 2025 · Keratin, fibrous structural protein of hair, nails, horn, hoofs, wool, feathers, and of the epithelial cells in the outermost layers of the skin. Keratin serves important structural and protective functions, particularly in the epithelium.

In the human body, keratin can be categorized into several types based on its location and function. The most common types include hair keratin, which gives hair its strength and texture; skin keratin, which forms the protective barrier of the skin; and nail keratin, which provides hardness and durability to nails.

In humans, a phylogenetic analysis of the genes of the type I keratins (i.e. acidic soft, acidic hard, acidic inner root sheath and related keratins) suggested that the acidic keratin genes related to the inner root sheath originated earlier during evolution than the genes for epidermal keratin or hair keratin (Bawden et al. 2001).

Oct 6, 2023 · Keratin is a naturally occurring protein within the body that aids in the health of the skin, hair, and nails. It is also used in hair products.

Amongst the 54 known functional keratin genes in humans, about 21 different genes including hair and hair follicle-specific keratins have been associated with diverse hereditary disorders.