Innovative sugar-based surfactants offer sensory and formulation benefits

In line with consumer demand for clean beauty and personal care products, Clariant has developed a state-of-the-art sugar-based surfactant range, GlucoTain. This product range offers sensorial benefits based on individual foam structures – from fluffy to rich and light to caring skin-feel levels.  

GlucoTain opens up a new world of possibilities for personal care brands and manufacturers to develop outstanding sulphate-free and betaine-free formulations for numerous applications. 

In addition to improving the performance of the final formulation, GlucoTain enables a cost enhancement with no compromise on cleansing properties. The range is ideal for hair care and skin care formulations such as shampoos, shower liquid soaps, facial cleansers and shaving foams. 

A family of five  

Currently, there are five sugar surfactants within the family. All characterised by their sustainability, mildness and skin compatibility, allowing an excellent cleaning effect combined with equally good nourishing properties.  

GlucoTain’s EO-free and sulphate-free ingredients are readily biodegradable products with a 94% to 96% Renewable Carbon Index (RCI), a high content of non-tropical biomass, and a good eco-toxicity profile. 

The GlucoTain mildness, sensory, thickening and foaming ability compares favourably to market alternatives. The range offers extra mildness in comparison to SLES and CAPB and is as mild as APGs. Additionally, GlucoTain Clear and GlucoTain Plus support their use as foam boosting additives for practically any formulation and even sometimes as a primary surfactant.  

Ideal for sensitive applications 

GlucoTain Flex-based formulations can be efficiently thickened, enabling significant cost savings while contributing to achieving a creamier sensation and a moisturising nourishment for skin or hair. GlucoTain Care is the most caring with its rich and creamy foam that has small bubbles. Due to its sensory profile, it is excellent for use on dry, demanding and sensitive hair and skin.  

GlucoTain Sense, Clariant’s latest member of the GlucoTain range, is based on 100% European-sourced sunflower oil and glucose. This product is easy to adopt in rinse-off formulations by switching 1:1 with 1% of CAPB, resulting in improved skin-feel, tuning of foam, and no changes in active level or viscosity at normal salt levels. 

An innovative solution  

All GlucoTain products are COSMOS certified and meet the requirements of the EU Ecolabel.  

The development of the plant-based glucamide surfactants goes beyond the introduction of a new sugar-based alternative to formulators. The combination of efficacy and broad applicability creates opportunities for formulators to answer the provenance trend and potentially reinvigorate saturated markets through effective natural formulations.