Sugar ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used mainly as a humectant, and in crystalline products it can act as a water-soluble physical exfoliant. It also helps adjust texture and sweetness in lip care or oral-care-adjacent formats.
What does Sugar do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used mainly as a humectant, and in crystalline products it can act as a water-soluble physical exfoliant. It also helps adjust texture and sweetness in lip care or oral-care-adjacent formats.
Is Sugar clean?
It is generally well tolerated, low in sensitization concern, and not a common restricted-list issue in clean-beauty standards. The main formulation caveat is microbial support in water-based products, so preservation still matters.
Is Sugar sustainable?
This material is typically plant-derived from cane or beet crops and is readily biodegradable. Its sustainability profile depends more on agriculture, water use, land use, and labor practices than on persistence after use.
Is Sugar COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted in COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic products when sourced and processed in a compliant way. It fits Green Chemistry well through renewable feedstocks, biodegradability, and relatively simple aqueous extraction and crystallization.
How does Sugar work chemically?
The molecule is a nonionic disaccharide made from one glucose unit and one fructose unit linked by a glycosidic bond. Use levels vary widely, roughly 1 to 10% for humectancy and much higher in rinse-off scrub formats, and it is stable when dry but can hydrolyze under acidic heat and can support microbial growth in water-containing formulas.
Last updated 2026-05-15