Decyl Glucoside

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

What Is Decyl Glucoside?

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

How Decyl Glucoside Is Made

Decyl glucoside is made from plant-based fatty alcohols and sugar or 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 plant-based surfactant, decyl glucoside is often used in place of sulfates like SLS and SLES. It can be found in hundreds of products like shampoo, facial cleansers, body wash, hand soap, laundry detergent, and makeup remover.[5]

Is Decyl Glucoside Safe?

The Cosmetics Ingredient Review has deemed the ingredient safe for use in cosmetic products. Due to its connection to contact dermatitis, the EWG has granted decyl glucoside a score of "2".[6] Whole Foods has deemed the ingredient as acceptable as a surfactant in its body care quality standards.[6] Further research shows the ingredient rarely a skin irritant.[7]

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] Whole Foods Market
[7] 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