Trehalose ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily a humectant and moisture-support agent, helping bind water in skin and hair formulas. It can also help stabilize proteins, membranes, and texture in water-based products.
What does Trehalose do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily a humectant and moisture-support agent, helping bind water in skin and hair formulas. It can also help stabilize proteins, membranes, and texture in water-based products.
Is Trehalose clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is generally well tolerated, low in sensitization concerns, and not a common restricted-list ingredient. It has little controversy compared with preservatives, fragrance allergens, or ethoxylated materials.
Is Trehalose sustainable?
This material is commonly produced from renewable starch sources such as corn, tapioca, or other plant carbohydrates through enzymatic processing. It is readily biodegradable, with the main sustainability variables coming from crop sourcing, land use, and agricultural inputs.
Is Trehalose COSMOS-approved?
It is compatible with COSMOS-natural when made from approved agricultural feedstocks and allowed processing methods, and it may fit COSMOS-organic formulas when the feedstock and certification chain qualify. Its Green Chemistry profile is strong because it can come from renewable carbohydrate feedstocks, uses mild enzymatic processing, and is biodegradable.
How does Trehalose work chemically?
The molecule is a non-reducing disaccharide made of two glucose units linked through an alpha,alpha-1,1 bond, which helps explain its stability and low reactivity in formulas. Typical use levels are often around 0.5% to 5%, and it is water-soluble and stable across common cosmetic pH ranges.
Last updated 2026-05-13