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Decyl glucoside facial cleanser OEM/ODM manufacturing
Decyl Glucoside Facial Cleanser · OEM/ODM
Decyl glucoside is a nonionic surfactant from the alkyl glucoside family, made by condensing glucose with a C10 fatty alcohol. Both starting materials are plant-derived, but decyl glucoside itself is a synthesized product, so the accurate description is "plant-derived", not "natural extract". In a facial cleanser it cleanses, foams and lets you describe the formula as "sulfate-free". What needs to be said plainly: the "gentle" marketing claim rests on limited evidence. In patch testing an alkyl polyglucoside caused fewer reactions than SLS, but the CIR Expert Panel concluded only that this group is safe in the present practices of use and concentration "when formulated to be nonirritating", and the alkyl glucoside group was named "Allergen of the Year" 2017 in the journal Dermatitis, with the face a common site of allergic reactions. This page therefore focuses on what is specific to decyl glucoside as the primary surfactant: dosing by active content, building viscosity, eye irritation assessment, labeling so that people who already know they are allergic can recognize it, and claim limits. General facial cleanser principles are on a separate page. Butter-C offers turnkey OEM/ODM manufacturing, from formula development and testing to labeled finished goods and the notification dossier.
Formula base
Decyl glucoside as the primary surfactant, with its partners
All surfactant levels are calculated as % active from the COA, not % raw material. Below are the five ingredient groups of a cleanser built around decyl glucoside.
Decyl Glucoside: primary surfactant
Commercial decyl glucoside is usually an aqueous solution; Butter-C's internal note says "about 50%" but has not been checked against a source, so % active comes from each batch COA. The CIR report (Fiume et al., 2013) records maximum concentrations of 0.3–33% active in rinse-off products; that is a 2011 US market survey, not a recommendation. The commercial material is a mixture of alkyl chain lengths, not a single molecule.
Co-surfactants
Cocamidopropyl Betaine boosts foam and helps viscosity (require a COA for amidoamine and DMAPA impurities). Disodium Cocoyl Glutamate gives a fine, creamy foam. Lauryl Glucoside (C12) can be added because foam from C12 alkyl polyglucoside decays much more slowly than C10 in solution tests (review by Zhang et al., 2025), but it is still a glucoside and does not help people already allergic to this group.
Thickening
Xanthan Gum or PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate. An internal note says glucoside-rich systems are hard to thicken with salt (not checked against a source), and in a published sulfate-free system adding alkyl polyglucoside lowered viscosity (Yorke et al., 2021), so plan on polymers rather than salt.
Humectants for after-wash feel
Glycerin, Panthenol, Betaine (trimethylglycine, not Cocamidopropyl Betaine). These shape the after-wash feel; "no tight feeling" is claimed only after sensory testing of the finished product.
Preservation, chelation, pH
Sodium Benzoate (rinse-off maximum 2.5% as benzoic acid, Annex VI Ref 1) and Potassium Sorbate (0.6% as sorbic acid, Ref 4) need an acidic pH; alternatively Phenoxyethanol (maximum 1.0%, Ref 29) with Ethylhexylglycerin. Disodium EDTA or Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate chelates metal ions; Citric Acid adjusts pH after blending. The preservative system is confirmed by challenge testing to ISO 11930.
Key technical points
Five things specific to decyl glucoside as the primary surfactant
These are the points where a decyl glucoside cleanser differs from a sulfate or amino acid cleanser; each is settled with raw material documents or tests on samples.
Dose by active content; do not confuse patch test levels
The raw material is a solution, so 10% raw material may correspond to only about half that amount of active. The formula and Product Information File record both % raw material and % active. The 5% figure common in the literature is the diagnostic patch test concentration of decyl glucoside in petrolatum (Warshaw et al., 2022), not a use level in cosmetics.
Eye irritation must be tested on the finished product
A facial cleanser easily gets into the eyes. In the CIR report, 3% active decyl glucoside was mildly irritating in the hen's egg chorioallantoic membrane test (HET-CAM); across five commercial alkyl polyglucosides, the C10 fraction correlated with the HET-CAM score (Cho et al., 2010; in vitro, authors from a cosmetics company). So "low eye sting" is claimed only after eye irritation assessment of the finished product.
May increase penetration of other ingredients
The CIR Panel noted that alkyl glucosides may enhance skin penetration of other ingredients, so caution is needed when combining them with substances whose safety assessment relies on low skin absorption. When you want to add an active, Butter-C reviews that substance's safety assessment within the glucoside system.
pH and hard water
Raw material pH differs between suppliers; measure each batch and adjust the finished product pH after blending, then choose the preservative for the agreed pH range. In laboratory tests the critical micelle concentration of decyl glucoside stayed around 1.0 mM at hardness 0–400 mg/L CaCO₃, pH 5.5–9.0 and 4–40 °C, while SLES was affected (Abushuhel et al., 2026). That is useful where users wash with hard water, but foam and clarity still have to be tested on the finished product.
Contact allergy and labeling
In North America, 2.0% of 24,097 patients referred for patch testing reacted to decyl and/or lauryl glucoside (Warshaw et al., 2022); in the UK, 79.3% of positive patients were sensitized to several glucosides (Bhoyrul et al., 2019). These are rates in patch-tested patients, not in users in general, and some weak reactions may be false positives (de Groot et al., 2026). Label the INCI "Decyl Glucoside" clearly so that people who know they are allergic can recognize it; isobornyl acrylate as an impurity in glucoside raw materials is still only a hypothesis (Foti et al., 2016).
Three formulation directions
Three types of decyl glucoside cleanser
Clear facial cleansing gel
Decyl glucoside as the primary surfactant with Cocamidopropyl Betaine, thickened with Xanthan Gum or PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate; clarity is the main specification, including in the cold. For normal and combination skin.
Opaque cream cleanser, low foam
Lower total surfactant, Glycol Distearate for opacity, plenty of Glycerin and a small amount of Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride; oil reduces foam and the system separates easily, so stability testing must be thorough (formulation experience). A dry-skin positioning becomes "no tight feeling" only with sensory testing.
Pre-foamed cleanser
A near water-thin solution for a foaming pump bottle: decyl glucoside with betaine and a secondary surfactant. A published cleansing foam used lauryl glucoside, decyl glucoside and sodium cocoyl isethionate at a 1 : 1 : 1 ratio, 26.19% total surfactants with 0.45% xanthan (Bogdan et al., 2024; the paper does not state whether levels are raw material or active). That is a foaming gel, a different format from a foaming pump, cited only as a blending reference.
Packaging is designed with the formula
Tubes need enough viscosity not to run when squeezed, pump bottles need less, and foaming pumps need a thin solution, so choose the pack before fixing viscosity. Clear bottles reveal any haze, so choose them only after the system has passed low-temperature testing.
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.
- Appearance & clarity
- Color, odor, clarity or even opacity; observed at room and low temperature against a reference sample kept in the R&D lab.
- pH
- Measured neat or as a 10% solution at 25°C; pH drift tracked across stability time points, because preservative efficacy depends on pH.
- Viscosity
- Rotational viscometer, spindle and speed recorded; tied to tube, pump or foaming pump.
- Foam height & stability
- Ross–Miles method or a fixed in-house procedure, including hard water; a "fine foam" label claim rests on these measurements and sensory assessment.
- Decyl glucoside raw material COA
- % active, pH, free fatty alcohol and microbiology for each batch; weighed amounts adjusted to actual % active.
- Stability
- Accelerated aging at 40°C, freeze–thaw cycling, cold storage; watching for haze, separation, viscosity and pH shifts.
- Microbiology & challenge test
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; preservative efficacy (challenge) test to ISO 11930.
- Skin & eye irritation
- Tolerance testing on volunteers before claiming "gentle"; eye irritation assessment of the finished product before claiming "low eye sting".
Claims
Claims for a decyl glucoside facial cleanser
A facial cleanser is a rinse-off product; decyl glucoside is a surfactant, not a skin-conditioning ingredient. Evidence that "decyl glucoside makes a product gentle" is limited: the irritant patch test study (Löffler et al., 2003) used an alkyl polyglucoside of unspecified type and the abstract gives no sample size, and studies of "mild" products tested whole multi-ingredient systems. Appendix 03-MP of Circular 06/2011/TT-BYT lists claims beyond cosmetic scope; Butter-C reviews label and marketing wording when preparing the notification dossier.
Cleanses dirt and excess sebum from facial skin
Instead of: skin detox, deep pore cleansing, claims to act on bacteria.
Creates a fine foam (once foam and sensory feel are measured on the finished product)
Instead of: skin-nourishing foam, "ultra-gentle" foam inferred from the ingredient name.
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.
Gentle cleansing, no tight feeling (with finished-product test results)
Instead of: non-irritating, non-allergenic, hypoallergenic, for sensitive skin without testing, suitable for children.
Low eye sting (after eye irritation assessment of the finished product)
Instead of: tear-free inferred from the ingredient name or from the word "nonionic".
Warnings and directions
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 (decyl, lauryl, coco-glucoside…) should not use it and should consult a dermatologist. Pregnancy and breastfeeding: not enough specific data, ask a doctor if in doubt. Instead of: safe for every skin.
Manufacturing specifications
Available capabilities
- Formats
- Clear gel, opaque cream cleanser, solution for foaming pumps; decyl glucoside as the primary surfactant.
- Pack types
- Tube, pump bottle, foaming pump bottle. Volume agreed when selecting packaging.
- Minimum order quantity
- Agreed per order, depending on format and pack type.
- 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 raw material COAs stating % active.
- Packaging
- Label design, printing and packing run in parallel with formula development.
Suggested product concept
Sulfate-free, fragrance-free decyl glucoside cleansing gel
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.
Decyl glucoside – betaine system
Decyl Glucoside as the primary surfactant, Cocamidopropyl Betaine to boost foam; total % active set on foam and tolerance test samples; "sulfate-free" can be stated.
Polymer thickening
Xanthan Gum or PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate builds pump-bottle viscosity; salt is not the main thickening tool.
Glycerin, Panthenol
Humectants for the after-wash feel; "no tight feeling" only with sensory testing on volunteers.
150 ml pump bottle, fragrance-free, full INCI on the label
Fragrance-free removes one source of allergens from the ingredient list; the label carries an eye warning and the full INCI "Decyl Glucoside".
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.
Secondary surfactant
Betaine, glutamate or added lauryl glucoside — this sets foam character, viscosity and the ingredient list.
Texture
Clear gel, low-foam opaque cream or pre-foamed solution; tied to the thickening system and pack.
Glucoside-free version
For users who already know they are allergic to alkyl glucosides: switch to an amino acid or isethionate system, in which case the product no longer carries the decyl glucoside name; co-reactions between glucosides are common, so another glucoside is not a substitute.
Added actives
Considered together with the CIR note on penetration enhancement; actives that need a low pH require repeat stability and preservative testing.
Fragrance and color
Fragrance-free or lightly scented; fragrance changes clarity and viscosity and must be retested.
Range including a sunscreen
Decyl glucoside has been identified as a "hidden" allergen in a commercial raw material of a dispersed UV filter (Alfalah et al., 2017); when building a full range, Butter-C asks the supplier for the complete composition of dispersed raw materials so the label is correct.
Further reading
Related knowledge
Decyl glucoside in cosmetics
How "natural" it is, evidence on mildness, contact allergy, glucoside cross-reactions and ASEAN regulation (in Vietnamese).
Lauryl glucoside in cosmetics
The C12 glucoside: longer-lasting foam, a thick raw material, co-reactions with decyl glucoside (in Vietnamese).
Skin reactions to cosmetics
How contact allergy is recognized and the role of patch testing (in Vietnamese).
Classification of foaming agents
The four surfactant classes and why "sulfate-free" is not automatically mild (in Vietnamese).
Facial cleanser OEM/ODM manufacturing
General principles of surfactant systems, conditioning phase and pH in facial cleansers; this page focuses on decyl glucoside.
Amino acid facial cleanser OEM/ODM manufacturing
The sulfate-free route with amino acid surfactants, also the route for people allergic to glucosides.
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 →
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