Clariant’s sugar-based glucamide allows solid, waterless personal care formulations

GlucoTain® GEM from Clariant is a concentrated, sugar-based glucamide designed specifically for the creation of sustainable, solid, and waterless personal care formulations. With its sulfate-free, low-water content, 100% biodegradable formula, and a reduced carbon footprint, GlucoTain® GEM embodies conscious beauty. The product launches first in North American markets.

The story of Clariant’s GlucoTain range started with the need for a higher-performing and more flexible alternative to existing products such as alkyl polyglucosides, or APGs, widely used sugar based-surfactants. As APGs don’t enable a broad product range, the team developed new, varied carbon-chained length glucamides, the basis for GlucoTain’s sugar-based surfactants.

Developing effective cleansers from renewable sources with exceptional sensory properties can be complex yet the low-carbon GlucoTain range offers unique sensory benefits through individual foam structures and high sustainability credentials for the ultimate mild surfactant solution.

Solid and concentrated formats use less water in development, can require less packaging, and can deliver longer-lasting, easy-to-dose products as compared to liquid formats.

A sustainable solution to market needs

Glucotain GEM is the next essential member in this natural ingredients portfolio, with a unique design for solid and concentrated formats for personal cleansing concepts that are gentle for consumers and the environment.

“Sustainability has become increasingly important at a time when, more than ever, conscious beauty consumers make many of their purchasing decisions based on performance as well as product safety and its environmental profile,” explains Christina Richardson, Marketing Manager Personal & Home Care in North America. “These consumers genuinely care about our planet and take the time to research how their products are made, and with what ingredients.”

According to the World Economic Forum¹, 4-billion people live in water-scarce areas and one in four cities currently face water insecurity. In response to the need to reduce water use and overall consumption one key trend in Beauty and Personal Care being driven by conscious consumers is the development of solid and concentrated formats.

These formats typically use less water in development, can require less packaging, and can deliver longer-lasting, easy-to-dose products as compared to their liquid counterparts. GlucoTain GEM aids this transition to more sustainable beauty, supporting the effortless formulation of solid and concentrated formulas. The pure glucamide is sulfate-free and has very low water content; it is 100% biodegradable and non-tropical sourced, and emits less CO2 from cradle to gate than the widely used alkyl polyglycosides (APGs).

Sustainable with luxurious sensory benefits

GlucoTain GEM also delivers a delightful sensory, creamy and easy to rinse foam, and conditioning after-feel on skin and hair, improving the smoothness of both.

“It builds viscosity in sulfate-free and sulfate systems – with and without salt – and can improve combability in hair products like conditioners and shampoos, reducing the need to add cationic polymers or other refatting agents in both solid or liquid systems. GlucoTain GEM is extremely mild to both skin proteins and skin lipids,” comments Luciana Rodrigues, Head of Application Development Americas, Personal Care.

To demonstrate the effectiveness of GlucoTain GEM in both solid format and liquid chassis, Clariant has developed three formulations that use the surfactant as part of a self-care shower concept.

Rare GEM – Cleansing Body Bar allows users to experience a ‘gem’ of a cleanse! This concentrated cleanser format delivers a creamy lather and a soft after-feel on skin thanks to the high-conditioning mild surfactant, GlucoTain GEM.

Clean Slate – Restoring Pre-shampoo Treatment can give your hair a refresh when it needs some extra tender-loving-care. It’s the solution to reach for on those heavy-duty gym days, or those where product build up has reached its limit. Applied to wet hair during a shower it is rinsed before using other cleansers to leave your hair feeling extra soft and supple. GlucoTain GEM helps to build viscosity in this formulation, delivering a rich, creamy product meant to prep your hair before cleansing.

Soft Serve – Scoopable Shave Balm was designed to properly prep skin for shaving with a unique, easy-to-apply texture and waterless ingredients. We all know that any good shaving routine starts with the right products, so we reimagined the traditional, usual shaving cream to be a silky, spreadable shave balm! GlucoTain GEM helps deliver the unique spreadable texture and appealing sensory of this waterless product.

These formulations were introduced at NYSCC Suppliers Day, North America’s largest tradeshow dedicated to cosmetic production development, which took place from 1-2 May 2024 at the Javits Center in New York City.

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GlucoTain® IS A TRADEMARK OF CLARIANT REGISTERED IN MANY COUNTRIES.

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¹ Why water security is our most urgent challenge today | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)