Glycogen ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used as a skin- and hair-conditioning humectant and film-forming polymer. It helps bind water at the surface and can improve feel without acting as an occlusive oil or silicone.
What does Glycogen do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used as a skin- and hair-conditioning humectant and film-forming polymer. It helps bind water at the surface and can improve feel without acting as an occlusive oil or silicone.
Is Glycogen clean?
It is generally well tolerated, non-sensitizing, and not a common restricted-list concern in clean-beauty frameworks. The main clean-standard question is source transparency, since it may be plant-derived, biotechnology-derived, or animal-derived depending on supplier.
Is Glycogen sustainable?
This material is a naturally occurring carbohydrate polymer and is expected to be biodegradable. Its sustainability profile depends mostly on feedstock, with plant or fermentation routes aligning better than marine or animal extraction from a traceability perspective.
Is Glycogen COSMOS-approved?
It can align with COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when sourced and processed through permitted natural or biotechnology routes, with compliant solvents and auxiliaries. From a Green Chemistry view, it scores well when made from renewable feedstocks, processed in water, and supplied with clear non-animal or responsibly traced sourcing.
How does Glycogen work chemically?
The molecule is a highly branched glucose polymer with alpha-glycosidic linkages, giving it strong water-binding and surface-film behavior. It is typically used at low cosmetic levels in aqueous phases, is compatible with many humectants and conditioners, and may need standard preservation because carbohydrate-rich water systems can support microbial growth.
Last updated 2026-05-13