Cetearyl Glucoside ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a nonionic oil-in-water emulsifier that helps blend oils with water and gives creams and lotions a smooth, stable texture. It is often used as the primary emulsifier or paired with fatty alcohols for added body and stability.
What does Cetearyl Glucoside do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a nonionic oil-in-water emulsifier that helps blend oils with water and gives creams and lotions a smooth, stable texture. It is often used as the primary emulsifier or paired with fatty alcohols for added body and stability.
Is Cetearyl Glucoside clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally well tolerated, low in sensitization concern, and not a common restricted-list issue. It is a standard choice in cleaner emulsifier systems because it can be made from sugar and fatty alcohol feedstocks without relying on ethoxylation.
Is Cetearyl Glucoside sustainable?
This material is typically derived from plant-based glucose and fatty alcohols, although the fatty portion may come from coconut, palm, or other vegetable sources. It is considered readily biodegradable, with sourcing transparency most relevant when palm-derived inputs are used.
Is Cetearyl Glucoside COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS Natural and COSMOS Organic when the raw material and processing route meet the standard. It aligns well with Green Chemistry because it can use renewable feedstocks, has good biodegradability, and does not require ethoxylated chemistry.
How does Cetearyl Glucoside work chemically?
The molecule is a nonionic sugar-linked fatty-chain emulsifier, usually based on C16-C18 lipophilic groups attached to glucose-derived head groups. Typical use levels are about 0.5% to 3% in the oil phase, and it is generally stable across the mildly acidic to neutral pH range used in emulsions.
Last updated 2026-05-13