Undecylenoyl Glycine

TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily a skin-conditioning and antimicrobial-support material used in blemish-prone skin, deodorant, and scalp formulas. It helps manage excess oil appearance and odor-related microbial activity while also supporting preservation systems.

What does Undecylenoyl Glycine do in a cosmetic formula?

This ingredient is primarily a skin-conditioning and antimicrobial-support material used in blemish-prone skin, deodorant, and scalp formulas. It helps manage excess oil appearance and odor-related microbial activity while also supporting preservation systems.

Is Undecylenoyl Glycine clean?

It is generally clean-standard compatible, with no major restricted-list profile and low irritation potential at typical cosmetic levels. Formulas for the eye area, mucosa, or very sensitive skin still need routine tolerance testing because it has antimicrobial activity.

Is Undecylenoyl Glycine sustainable?

This material is commonly made from a renewable fatty feedstock combined with an amino-acid component, then chemically converted and purified. It is expected to be biodegradable, with sustainability depending mainly on agricultural sourcing quality and manufacturing controls.

Is Undecylenoyl Glycine COSMOS-approved?

It can be permitted under COSMOS-natural when the feedstocks and manufacturing route meet standard criteria, but it is not inherently COSMOS-organic because it is chemically modified. Its Green Chemistry fit is good overall, with renewable inputs and expected biodegradability, balanced by the need for synthetic amidation and purification.

How does Undecylenoyl Glycine work chemically?

The molecule is amphiphilic, with an 11-carbon mono-unsaturated hydrophobic tail linked to a polar amino-acid head group through an amide bond, which helps it partition at skin-surface and oil-water interfaces. It is typically used at low levels, often about 0.1 to 1%, and is broadly stable across normal cosmetic pH ranges, though solubility and final pH need formulation attention.

Last updated 2026-05-13