DECYL GLUCOSIDE

Description: DECYL GLUCOSIDE — gentle cleansing, foaming (sugar-derived).

All Functions: gentle cleansing, foaming (sugar-derived)

Quick Facts:

• Category: surfactant

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Decyl glucoside is a non-ionic surfactant (a cleaning agent) used in cosmetics
• Safety panels have concluded it’s safe at current cosmetic use levels when formulated to avoid irritation
• Your skin naturally breaks it down into fatty acids and glucose
• It remains stable across different water hardness, pH, and temperature conditions
• It’s considered more environmentally stable than some other common surfactants

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🧪 DECYL GLUCOSIDE

DECYL GLUCOSIDE

CAS Number: 54549-25-6; 58846-77-8; 141464-42-8; 68515-73-1

Also Known As: —

Category: surfactant

EC Number: 259-218-1

Korean Name: 데실글루코사이드

D-Glucoside, Decyl

DECYL GLUCOSIDE is a surfactant ingredient used in skincare formulations.

🌍 Regulatory Status

📊 Comedogenicity

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Decyl glucoside is a type of surfactant, which means it helps oils and water mix together in skincare products—a key job in cleansers and other formulations. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel assessed the safety of decyl glucoside alongside 18 other alkyl glucosides and determined they are safe in cosmetics as currently used (Int J Toxicol, 2013). #1: The Panel’s confidence partly rests on the fact that your skin contains enzymes called glucoside hydrolases that naturally break down these ingredients into their component parts—fatty acids and glucose—which the body already knows how to handle. #2: Beyond safety, decyl glucoside functions primarily as a surfactant but can also condition skin or hair and stabilize emulsions (mixtures of oil and water).

One important practical advantage: decyl glucoside is unusually stable. A recent systematic comparison tested how three common surfactants held up under real-world conditions—different water hardness, pH levels, and temperatures (RSC Adv, 2026). #3: While anionic surfactants like Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate showed significant sensitivity to hard water (their surface tension increased from 32.5 to 36.8 mN/m and their critical micelle concentration jumped from 0.25 to 0.45 mM), decyl glucoside maintained stable behavior with a consistent critical micelle concentration around 1.0 mM regardless of ionic stress or temperature swings. The reason: decyl glucoside’s non-ionic structure (lacking electrical charge) prevents it from binding to minerals in hard water, keeping it performing consistently.

This stability is cited as making it an ideal choice for eco-friendly formulations (RSC Adv, 2026).

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

Derived from this ingredient’s irritancy potential and comedogenicity rating against the needs of each skin type — e.g. oily and acne-prone skin are marked down for pore-clogging ingredients, sensitive skin for irritants. A starting heuristic, not a dermatological verdict.

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

🧴 Products Containing DECYL GLUCOSIDE

• Beiersdorf, Nivea Douche soin crème veloutée, au beurre de karité
• Sun Dance, Sundance Sonnenmilch 30 (hoch)
• Rossmann Clean Care ölfreier Mizellen Augen Make-up Entferner
• Rossmann Sun ozon kids
• Rossmann Urea Fussbad
• Calypso facial protection
• ColourB4 Effaceur de coloration
• ÁR OCEAN 2 in 1 Cleanser + Toner
• Ivatherm Ivapur
• Capitol Capitol
• KARO PHARMA AS Asan Intimvask Shower/Shave 220ml
• ACO Kids Active Sun Lotion SPF 50+
• Reinigungsschaum
• Coop, Io Coop Crema Solare 50+
• Florame Mousse de rasage aux huiles essentielles bio et à l’huile d’argan bio
• Léa Nature, So’ Bio étic Douche adoucissante Amande & miel
• So’bio etic Shampooing doux Lait d’ânesse et d’amande
• Léa Nature, So’ Bio étic Douche verveine citronnée Escapade en Provence
• Léa Nature, So Bio Etic Précieux Argan Eau micellaire anti-âge
• Léa Nature natessance kids shampooing douceur

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Fiume MM et al. (2013). Safety assessment of decyl glucoside and other alkyl glucosides as used in cosmetics. Int J Toxicol.
• Abushuhel M et al. (2026). Decyl glucoside as a sustainable surfactant for cosmetic formulations: environmental stability under hardness, pH, and temperature variations. RSC Adv.
• Horn HM et al. (2005). Contact allergy to decyl glucoside. Contact Dermatitis.
• Andersen KE et al. (2006). Decyl glucoside contact allergy from a sunscreen product. Contact Dermatitis.
• Monteiro AF et al. (2020). Allergic contact dermatitis to decyl glucoside: Still an important allergen in Tinosorb M. Contact Dermatitis.