Guar ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used mainly as a natural thickener, rheology modifier, and stabilizer in creams, lotions, gels, shampoos, and cleansers. It helps build viscosity, suspend particles, and improve slip without acting as a primary emulsifier.
What does Guar do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used mainly as a natural thickener, rheology modifier, and stabilizer in creams, lotions, gels, shampoos, and cleansers. It helps build viscosity, suspend particles, and improve slip without acting as a primary emulsifier.
Is Guar clean?
It is generally well tolerated in finished products and has little clean-standard friction when properly purified. Sensitivity is uncommon, although very high levels can feel tacky or leave residue on skin or hair.
Is Guar sustainable?
This material is plant-derived, renewable, and readily biodegradable. Supply chains are agriculture-based, so water use, farming practices, and traceability matter, but it does not raise the persistence concerns associated with many synthetic film-formers.
Is Guar COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when it meets natural-origin and processing requirements. Its renewable sourcing, biodegradability, and low-complexity water-based processing fit Green Chemistry principles well.
How does Guar work chemically?
The molecule is a high-molecular-weight, nonionic polysaccharide built from a mannose-rich backbone with galactose side groups, which hydrates to form viscous aqueous networks. Typical use levels are about 0.1% to 1.0%, with best performance after good dispersion and hydration, and viscosity can drop under strongly acidic conditions or with high electrolyte loads.
Last updated 2026-05-13