Decyl Glucoside

Derived from: coconut
Pronunciation: (\ˈde-səl\ \ˈglü-kə-ˌsīd\)
Type: Naturally-derived

What Is Decyl Glucoside?

A type of alkyl polyglucoside, decyl glucoside is a cloudy liquid derived from palm kernel oils, corn sugars, and/or coconut.[1]

How to Make Decyl Glucoside

Decyl glucoside is derived from plant-based fatty alcohols and sugar/glucose.[2,3] More specifically, commercial production requires condensing decyl glucoside (and other alkyl polyglucosides) with a glucose polymer.[4]

What Does Decyl Glucoside Do?

As a gentle, plant-based surfactant, decyl glucoside is often used in place of sulfates like SLS and SLES. It can be found in hundreds of personal care products including shampoo, facial cleansers, body wash, hand soap, bubble bath, makeup remover, and more.[5]

Is Decyl Glucoside Safe?

The Cosmetics Ingredient Review has deemed the ingredient safe for use in cosmetic products, and the EPA has also deemed aggregate exposure as unharmful.[1,6] Whole Foods has deemed the ingredient as acceptable as a surfactant in its body care quality standards.[7] Research also shows the ingredient rarely a skin irritant.[1,8]

Why Puracy Uses Decyl Glucoside

We use decyl glucoside as a biodegradable surfactant and cleansing agent in a wide variety of our products, including our Natural Laundry Detergent and Natural Multi-Surface Cleaner.

Sources

[1] Personal Care Council
[2] CosmeticsInfo.org
[3] Ash, M., Ash, I. Handbook of Green Chemicals (2004) Synapse Info Resources
[4] Rather, M., Mishra, S. "B-Glycosidases: An alternative enzyme based method for synthesis of alkyl-glycosides." Sustainable Chemical Processes (2013) 1:7
[5] Environmental Working Group
[6] Environmental Protection Agency
[7] Whole Foods Market
[8] Mehling, A., Kleber M., and Hensen, H. “Comparative studies on the ocular and dermal irritation potential of surfactants.” Food Chemical Toxicology 2007;45(5):747-758

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