Zea Maize Starch ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used as an absorbent powder and texture modifier, helping reduce greasiness, add slip, and improve pressability in dry color cosmetics and body products.
What does Zea Maize Starch do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used as an absorbent powder and texture modifier, helping reduce greasiness, add slip, and improve pressability in dry color cosmetics and body products.
Is Zea Maize Starch clean?
Clean-beauty frameworks generally treat it as low concern and well tolerated on skin. The main quality checks are pesticide residues, microbial cleanliness, and responsible particle-size management in loose powders.
Is Zea Maize Starch sustainable?
It is plant-derived from a high-volume agricultural crop and is readily biodegradable. Sourcing can involve conventional farming inputs and GMO supply chains, so identity-preserved or organic grades may matter for stricter sourcing criteria.
Is Zea Maize Starch COSMOS-approved?
It is permitted under COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when sourced and processed according to the standard. It fits Green Chemistry well because it is renewable, biodegradable, and typically processed through water-based physical separation rather than intensive synthetic chemistry.
How does Zea Maize Starch work chemically?
Chemically, it is a granular plant polysaccharide made primarily of amylose and amylopectin, giving it high oil and moisture uptake plus a soft-focus powder feel. Typical use is about 1 to 10% in emulsions for sensory modification and much higher, often 20% or more, in powders, where it is pH-stable but can swell or gelatinize with sufficient heat and water.
Last updated 2026-05-13