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Lauryl glucoside shampoo OEM/ODM manufacturing
Lauryl Glucoside Shampoo · OEM/ODM
Lauryl glucoside is a nonionic surfactant from the alkyl glucoside family, made by condensing lauryl alcohol (a 12-carbon chain) with glucose; the starting materials are plant-derived, the end product is synthetic. What sets the C12 chain apart is foam: in solution tests, foam from C12 alkyl polyglucoside decays much more slowly than C10. In a shampoo, lauryl glucoside cleanses hair and scalp, foams and lets you describe the formula as "sulfate-free". What needs to be said plainly: the raw material is a thick solution with roughly half active content, it can crystallize in cold weather and it does not help thicken a shampoo; mildness data consist of a few small tests, mostly by raw material companies; the CIR Expert Panel concluded the group is safe in the present practices of use and concentration "when formulated to be nonirritating"; and lauryl glucoside is a recognized contact allergen that often reacts together with decyl glucoside. A shampoo is rinsed off after a few minutes on the scalp; lauryl glucoside is a surfactant, not a hair conditioning ingredient, and this page makes no promise about hair growth or hair loss. Butter-C offers turnkey OEM/ODM manufacturing, from formula development and testing to labeled finished goods and the notification dossier.
Formula base
Lauryl glucoside as the primary surfactant in a complete shampoo
The formula has the same four groups as any shampoo; the difference is that the primary surfactant is nonionic, so foam, viscosity and pH are built in their own way. All surfactant levels are % active from the COA.
Lauryl Glucoside: primary surfactant
The material Butter-C keeps is a "Lauryl Glucoside (and) Water" solution; the CIR report (Fiume et al., 2013) cites commercial materials with 50–53% active, and the actual figure comes from each batch COA. CIR records maximum concentrations of 0.3–10% active in rinse-off products and 0.4–5% in non-coloring hair products (2011 US market survey, not a recommendation). 10% raw material corresponds to only about 5% active.
Co-surfactants
Cocamidopropyl Betaine boosts foam and helps viscosity (COA for amidoamine and DMAPA impurities); Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate or Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate for creamier foam; Decyl Glucoside or Coco-Glucoside as a secondary nonionic, keeping in mind that glucosides often co-react in allergy testing.
Hair conditioning agents
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride and Polyquaternium-10 reduce tangling and make hair easier to comb after washing; Panthenol helps the hair strand hold moisture. Cationic polymers must be tested for compatibility in the actual system (haze, precipitation).
Thickening, chelation, preservation, pH
Xanthan Gum or PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate builds viscosity; Sodium Chloride only supports it, with a salt curve made on the system. Disodium EDTA or Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate; Sodium Benzoate (rinse-off maximum 2.5% as benzoic acid, Annex VI Ref 1) and Potassium Sorbate (0.6% as sorbic acid, Ref 4) at acidic pH, or Phenoxyethanol (maximum 1.0%, Ref 29); Citric Acid adjusts pH.
Key technical points
Five things specific to a lauryl glucoside shampoo
These are the points where a lauryl glucoside shampoo differs from a typical sulfate shampoo; each is settled with raw material documents or tests on samples.
A thick raw material that can crystallize in the cold
CIR records one commercial material with a viscosity of 2,000 mPa·s or more at 20 °C. One manufacturer's technical data sheet (TDS) says the material may thicken and crystallize when stored below 35 °C and should be warmed and the whole drum homogenized before sampling and weighing. No published study covers this, so it is supplier information, applied as an incoming-material procedure.
No help with thickening; plan on polymers
In a sulfate-free system of olefin sulfonate and sultaine, adding alkyl polyglucoside lowered viscosity, at one ratio to a Newtonian liquid (Yorke et al., 2021; the abstract does not state the glucoside chain, and four of six authors were from a consumer goods company). So a sulfate-free shampoo's viscosity is built with polymers and co-surfactants and measured on the actual formula (formulation experience, per TDS).
Alkaline raw material
The supplier TDS gives pH 12 for a 10% solution, so finished product pH is adjusted with an organic acid after blending and tracked across stability time points; acid-dependent preservatives (benzoate, sorbate) work only once pH is set in the acidic range.
Longer-lasting foam than short-chain glucosides
A review cites solution data for single alkyl polyglucosides: C12 foam 30 mm high with a half-life of 210 minutes; C10 36 mm and 15 minutes (Zhang et al., 2025). These are solution measurements, not a shampoo in the presence of hair oil and sebum, so "fine, long-lasting foam" is claimed only when measured on the finished product.
Eyes and mildness
From the CIR report (tests mostly by authors from raw material companies): mild irritation at 2.0% active under 24-hour occlusion (20 people) and at 1.0% in a soap chamber test (22 people); no irritation from a 0.5% solution applied for 48 hours (105 people); HRIPT with 5% active in 49 people showed no irritation or sensitization (unpublished data). Eyes: mild irritation at 3% in the hen's egg test (HET-CAM); in rabbits, a neutralized 12.5% active solution caused mild to moderate conjunctival irritation. Evidence for a "gentle" claim is limited; shampoo easily runs into the eyes, so it needs a warning and eye irritation assessment of the finished product.
Three formulation directions
Three ways to put lauryl glucoside into a shampoo
Sulfate-free glucoside – betaine shampoo
Lauryl glucoside as the primary surfactant with Cocamidopropyl Betaine and a secondary glucoside; a guar polymer for easy combing; Xanthan Gum or PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate for viscosity. "Sulfate-free" can be stated; foam is moderate and cleansing must be tested on oily hair.
Glucoside – amino acid shampoo
Lauryl glucoside with Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate or Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate and betaine for a denser, creamier foam; amino acid systems are pH-sensitive, so pH is set from a clarity – viscosity curve, and raw material cost is higher.
Mass-market shampoo with lauryl glucoside as a secondary surfactant
A Sodium Laureth Sulfate – Cocamidopropyl Betaine system with lauryl glucoside as a secondary nonionic; easy to thicken and cost-effective but cannot be called "sulfate-free", and when lauryl glucoside is only secondary, naming the product after it deserves a second thought.
Packaging is designed with the formula
300 ml–1 liter pump bottles, flip-cap bottles, refill pouches; viscosity is set to suit the pump. The label carries an eye warning and the full INCI "Lauryl Glucoside".
Parameters we monitor
What our R&D lab measures on every sample
These are the parameters Butter-C monitors during formula development and scale-up. Specific limits are agreed with you on the approved sample and then written into the product's in-house specification.
- COA & raw material receipt
- % active, pH and free fatty alcohol for each lauryl glucoside batch; warm and homogenize before sampling if the material has thickened or crystallized.
- pH
- Measured at 25°C; pH drift tracked across stability time points because the raw material is alkaline and the preservative system depends on pH.
- Viscosity & thickening curve
- Rotational viscometer at 25°C; polymer or salt curve made on the actual system and rechecked after fragrance is added.
- Appearance & clarity
- Color, odor, clarity or even opacity; also checked at low temperature because the raw material can crystallize in the cold.
- Foaming
- Foam height and stability, also assessed with oil on the hair; a "fine foam" claim rests on these measurements.
- Conditioning performance
- Assessed on hair tresses: slip during rinsing, ease of wet and dry combing.
- Stability
- Accelerated aging at 40°C, freeze–thaw cycling, cold storage; watching for separation, haze, viscosity and pH shifts.
- Microbiology & challenge test
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; preservative efficacy (challenge) test to ISO 11930.
- Scalp & eye irritation
- Tolerance testing on volunteers before claiming "gentle"; eye irritation assessment of the finished product.
Claims
Claims for a lauryl glucoside shampoo
A shampoo is a rinse-off product; lauryl glucoside is a surfactant, not a hair conditioning active or an anti-dandruff active. Appendix 03-MP of Circular 06/2011/TT-BYT does not accept claims such as "prevents hair loss", "stimulates hair growth", "thickens the hair strand", "restores hair cells/follicles" or "permanently removes dandruff". Butter-C reviews label and marketing wording when preparing the notification dossier.
Cleanses hair and scalp, fine foam (foam and mildness claimed after testing the finished product)
Instead of: scalp detox, germ-free scalp, claims about scalp fungi.
Plant-derived surfactant; sulfate-free (ingredient description)
Instead of: all-natural, natural extract, "toxic sulfates". "Sulfate-free" only when the formula contains no alkyl sulfates or alkyl ether sulfates.
Helps hair feel smooth and easy to comb (with conditioning polymers and tress assessment)
Instead of: restores damaged hair, nourishes hair follicles.
Helps reduce breakage from combing (when breakage has been tested on the finished product)
Instead of: prevents hair loss, stimulates hair growth, thickens the hair strand.
Gentle cleansing for the scalp (with finished-product tolerance results)
Instead of: non-irritating, non-allergenic, hypoallergenic, safe for every scalp, suitable for babies.
Warnings and users
"Avoid contact with eyes; if contact occurs, rinse immediately with plenty of water"; stop use if redness, itching or burning occurs. People with a positive patch test to any alkyl glucoside should not use it and should consult a dermatologist. Pregnancy and breastfeeding: not enough human data, ask a doctor. A red, very itchy scalp, thick scaling or patchy hair loss needs a dermatologist. Instead of: tear-free.
Manufacturing specifications
Available capabilities
- Texture
- Clear or slightly opaque shampoo; glucoside – betaine, glucoside – amino acid, or a sulfate system with a secondary glucoside.
- Pack types
- Pump bottle, flip-cap bottle, refill pouch. Volume agreed when selecting packaging.
- Minimum order quantity
- Agreed per order and per fragrance.
- Testing
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory, with a certificate of analysis for every batch.
- Documentation
- Product Information File (PIF) and cosmetic product notification dossier prepared by Butter-C, with surfactant COAs stating % active.
- Packaging
- Label design, printing and packing run in parallel with formula development.
Suggested product concept
Sulfate-free lauryl glucoside shampoo for normal hair
A concept to help you picture the product, not a ready-made product for sale. The actual formula is built around your brand positioning and price range.
Lauryl glucoside – betaine system
Lauryl Glucoside as the primary surfactant, Cocamidopropyl Betaine to boost foam; total % active set on foam samples and cleansing tests on hair.
Guar polymer and Panthenol
Less tangling and easier combing after washing; level assessed on hair tresses.
Xanthan Gum thickening
Viscosity built to suit the pump without relying on salt; pH adjusted with Citric Acid to the working range of the preservative system.
400 ml pump bottle, light fragrance
The label carries an eye warning and the full INCI "Lauryl Glucoside" so people who know they are allergic can recognize it.
Customization options
What you can specify
The same product type can target very different customers. Tell us your requirements in the areas below and our pharmacists will build the formula accordingly.
Cleansing system
Glucoside – betaine, glucoside – amino acid or with sulfate; a glucoside-free version (amino acid, isethionate) for users who know they are allergic to alkyl glucosides, in which case the product no longer carries the lauryl glucoside name.
Hair type
Oily, dry and frizzy, or chemically processed hair, which sets the cleansing level and the amount of conditioning polymer.
Scalp with dandruff
Lauryl glucoside is not an anti-dandruff active; when that benefit is needed, the formula moves to an anti-dandruff shampoo with an active that has data, used under the ASEAN annex conditions.
Fragrance
Light or fragrance-free; fragrance changes viscosity and clarity and must be retested. For EU export, fragrance allergens are named above 0.01% in rinse-off products; ASEAN has no such list yet (Annex III, entries 67–92 are blank).
Added actives
Considered together with the CIR note that alkyl glucosides may enhance skin penetration of other ingredients; in a rinse-off shampoo, extracts and vitamins are part of the story only.
Product range
Shampoo, conditioner and body wash on the same sulfate-free system; the conditioner uses cationic surfactants within the Annex III limits.
Further reading
Related knowledge
Lauryl glucoside in cosmetics
Foam and viscosity of the C12 chain, irritation data in the CIR report, allergy patch testing, co-reactions and ASEAN regulation (in Vietnamese).
Decyl glucoside in cosmetics
The shared background of alkyl glucosides: how "natural" they are, mildness and "Allergen of the Year" 2017 (in Vietnamese).
Hair shedding and hair breakage
Why shampoo does not change the hair follicle cycle, and which hair claims cannot be used (in Vietnamese).
Classification of foaming agents
Choosing a cleansing system for shampoos with or without sulfates (in Vietnamese).
Herbal shampoo OEM/ODM manufacturing
General principles of a shampoo with a cleansing base, conditioning agents and extracts.
Gleditsia shampoo OEM/ODM manufacturing
A sulfate-free shampoo with a glucoside in the cleansing system and gleditsia extract as the story.
How we work
From idea to finished batch
Eight steps and three milestones signed off by both sides: approved sample, notification number, finished batch. Step-by-step details →
Get started
Tell us about the product you plan to launch
Send us your product direction and expected volume. Our team will get back to you during business hours (Vietnam time, GMT+7).
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