Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a mild anionic surfactant used for cleansing, foaming, and helping rinse oils and soil from skin or hair. It can also support foam quality in low-irritation facial cleansers, shampoos, and body washes.
What does Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a mild anionic surfactant used for cleansing, foaming, and helping rinse oils and soil from skin or hair. It can also support foam quality in low-irritation facial cleansers, shampoos, and body washes.
Is Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally well-tolerated and has little restricted-list friction when made to cosmetic purity standards. As with most surfactants, eye or skin sting can rise at higher active levels or in formulas with poorly balanced pH.
Is Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate sustainable?
It is commonly made from a fatty acid fraction that may come from coconut or palm-kernel sources plus an amino-acid-derived component, so sourcing traceability matters. It is expected to biodegrade readily and does not carry the persistence concerns associated with many silicone or fluorinated materials.
Is Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate COSMOS-approved?
It is generally permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when the feedstocks and manufacturing route meet the standard’s allowed chemistry rules. Its profile fits Green Chemistry reasonably well because it can use renewable inputs, has good biodegradability, and performs in water-based systems.
How does Sodium Myristoyl Glutamate work chemically?
The molecule is a sodium salt of an N-acylated amino acid, combining a C14 fatty chain with a polar carboxylate-rich head group, and that amphiphilic structure gives micelle formation and mild detergency. Typical active use is often about 1 to 10% in rinse-off products, with best performance near mildly acidic to neutral pH, while hard water, electrolytes, and amphoteric or nonionic co-surfactants can shift foam and viscosity.
Last updated 2026-05-13