Chapter 2: Other surfactants · Part 1: Non-ionic surfactants
Alkyl glucosides
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The worst fact: "plant-based" doesn't mean allergy-free. They can still cause skin allergy, though rarely: a Belgian clinic found 30 of 11,842 people it patch-tested over 19 years were allergic to them. The main products responsible were shampoos and skin cleansers (12 each, including intimate hygiene wipes), then sunscreens (5).
Why brands use it: a surfactant made from sugar and fatty alcohol, so it can be sold as plant-based.
Take care if: you've reacted to a glucoside before, for example in sunscreen or wipes.
Comes from: glucose or starch reacted with a fatty alcohol using an acid catalyst. The method was invented by Emil Fischer in 1893.
Myth check: "Plant-based means it can't cause allergy": not true. Glucosides "were not expected to have a sensitizing potential at the concentrations to be used in finished consumer products", but "several contact allergy cases have been published".
Contaminants: nil. (Leftover fatty alcohol affects the colour and purity.)
Fair to say: a US cosmetic review found 19 glucosides safe "when formulated to be nonirritating". Enzymes in skin are likely to break them down into glucose and fatty alcohols.
We use this ingredient. Decyl glucoside is the cleanser in our Mould Remover Wall Cleaner. Decyl and lauryl glucoside are the cleansers in our Dishwash Liquid. Caprylyl/capryl glucoside is in our Curtain Mould Shield.
Correct as of November 2026. What the badges mean
Sources
- Cosmetic Ingredient Review: alkyl glucosides (2013); poloxamers (2008); cocamidopropyl betaine and amidopropyl betaines (2012); alkyl betaines (2018); alkyl sultaines (2024); lauriminodipropionates (2013); coconut oil and related ingredients (2011); fatty acids and fatty acid salts (2019).
- Gijbels D et al. Allergic contact dermatitis caused by alkyl glucosides. Contact Dermatitis 2014.
The full source list is at the end of Chapter 2.