What is coco-glucoside?
Coco-glucoside is an ingredient used in skin care formulations to improve the cleanability of detergents, body washes and soaps. It is a mixture of coconut fatty alcohol and glucose. In general, coconut glucoside is made from coconuts, but it can also be produced synthetically, which minimizes pressure on natural resources and reduces environmental problems during harvest, processing and transportation.
Coco-glucoside is an alkyl glucoside. Alkyl glucosides are a class of ingredients made by mixing alcohols and sugars, in this case glucose and fatty alcohols from coconut.
Coco-glucoside is used as a surfactant that helps remove and wash away dirt and oils from your skin. For this reason, coco-glucoside can often be found in cleaning products such as laundry detergents and cleaning products.
the breakdown
Coco-glucoside
the good: Helps improve the cleanability of products. As a surfactant, coco-glucoside, it helps remove dirt and oil so they can be more easily washed off the skin.
not that good: Like any ingredient, it can cause allergies in some people. Coco-glucoside is generally considered non-irritating, but it can cause irritation on some skin types.
For whom is that? All skin types except those identified as having an allergy.
Synergetic ingredients: Works well with most ingredients.
Keep an eye on: There is nothing to observe here.
Why is coco-glucoside used?
Coco-glucoside is mainly used as a surfactant. Surfactants help break down Surface tension between two liquids for deeper cleaning. For this reason, coco-glucoside is used in products such as detergents, shampoos, body washes, hand soap and environmentally friendly household cleaning products.
Is Coco-Glucoside Comedogenic?
While coconut oil and some other ingredients derived from coconuts can be comedogenic or clog your pores, coconut glucoside is considered non-comedogenic. Because coco-glucoside is a surfactant and is used in cleaning products, it cannot clog pores.
Is Coco-Glucoside Safe?
The Expert panel for the review of cosmetic ingredients, A group responsible for evaluating the safety of skin care and cosmetic ingredients has reviewed the available research Coconut glucoside. The panel of experts concluded that lauryl glucoside is safe for its current use and at the current concentrations in which it is used.
There is some research to suggest that high levels of coco-glucoside can cause some Irritation or allergic reaction onto the skin. This is most likely to occur with household cleaning products that contain high levels of coconut glucoside. However, this reaction is not particularly common.
References:
Fiume, M, 2013. “Safety Evaluation of Decyl Glucoside and Other Alkyl Glucosides as Used in Cosmetics”, International Journal of Toxicology, Vol. 32, is. 3.
