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Xanthan gum is used as a food thickener commonly. It is made from bacteria that infect plants. You may find this as an ingredient in a lot of products such as toothpaste. It offers several health benefits to skin and is often used to change the texture of food. It is a food additive that is normally added to food items as a thickener or stabilizer.
What does Xanthan gum do in skincare?
Xanthan gum plays a vital role in skincare. It functions as a binder, emulsion stabilizer, surfactant, skin conditioning agent, and viscosity increasing agent. It even works as a thickener in cosmetics. Xanthan gum is a wonderful natural source of thickener for products like lotions, liquid soaps, moisturizers, shower gels, body washes, creams, and shampoos. It thickens the consistency of products and has been proven to moisturize the skin very well.
How Xanthan Gum Beneficial for Skin
Xanthan gum is one of the popular ingredients in skin care formulations. It does wonders as it acts as an emulsifying agent. It can create a smooth and balanced textured product. Usually, the cosmetic products contain .01 to 2 percent of xanthan gum which is required in minimal qualities to get the desired texture in the skincare products. It is completely organic in nature. It can be derived from corn, wheat, dairy, and soy. It has numerous benefits. It has skin conditioning properties.
Let us see beneath what all benefits are there of Xanthan gum related to skincare.- Xanthan gum functions as a binder and emulsion stabilizer.
- It has skin conditioning properties and thus, thickens the texture of skincare products.
- It is a viscosity-increasing agent. It forms an aqueous solution with high viscosity levels.
- Xanthan gum is beneficial for diabetes, dry eye, constipation, and many other skin or body-related conditions.
- Xanthan is a useful stabilizing agent in toothpaste, medicines, and foods.
Xanthan Gum Uses for Skin Products
Xanthan gum is one such ingredient that is a part of various skincare products such as face washes, shampoos, sheet masks, etc. Xanthan has an excellent ability to increase the viscosity of liquids. This provides an optimal texture. Xanthan helps in binding the other skin ingredients together in a wholesome formulation. Various skin care products use Xanthan gum to provide shelf life for a smooth texture.
Let us see the use of Xanthan gum in different skincare products.
Face Wash
Xanthan gum is a sugar-based natural thickener for the cleansing systems. It is used as an emulsifier too. It acts as a thickener therefore, it is widely used in face washes and body washes products. It works to efficiently thicken the foam without jeopardizing it. Xanthan gum is able to provide a foamy texture to the face washes and is responsible for its thick texture.
Lotion
Xanthan gum is used in lotions to give them a smooth texture, glossy and shiny finish. The gum is responsible for the increase in the viscosity of a liquid. Generally, a very little amount such as 1 or 0.1 percent only is used in a lot of skincare applications. Xanthan gum has a natural property to thicken the shower gels, liquid soaps, lotions, shampoos, and lotions.
Cosmetic Care
Holistically in cosmetic products, Xanthan gum functions as a binder, skin conditioning agent, emulsifier, and emulsion stabilizer. Its main natural property that works in cosmetics is to thicken the liquid texture and make them glossier. Xanthan gum even helps in binding all the ingredients used in cosmetic formulations to stay together.
Thickener Agent
One of the major reasons for which Xanthan gum is used in skincare products is its thickening properties. It increases the liquid’s viscosity due to which it acts as a thickener. Even in food items, Xanthan gum is used to create thick syrups and gravies, etc. The thick texture in toothpaste, lotions, moisturizers, face washes is due to the Xanthan gum ingredient.
Emulsifier
As an emulsifier, the Xanthan gum has the ability to bind the moisture and prevents the products and their ingredients from separating. Another major feature of using Xanthan is to use it as a thickener. It provides a uniformly thick texture to the skincare products.
Side Effects of Xanthan Gum
Xanthan gum is such a prominent natural ingredient that is used in both food and skincare products. Its multiple properties are helpful in many ways but with everything, there are certain side effects that one should keep in mind. In food, ingesting large quantities of Xanthan gum can cause digestive issues. In skincare usually, there aren’t any side effects that have been seen till now. It is quite well-tolerated and fairly inert that it won’t irritate the skin. But still if used in too much quantity might leave some allergies.
Conclusion
Xanthan gum is a natural ingredient that is majorly used as a thickening agent that also stabilizes and prevents the products from separating in skincare and food items. It is used as a carrier agent and even creates a thick gel-like texture. Cosmetically, it provides a smooth and even application. Xanthan is gluten-free and organic in nature. It is widely used in ice-creams, puddings, yogurt, jellies, salad dressing, etc. It is used in medicines as well. It is a stabilizing, thickening, and binding agent. It is responsible to create a creamy texture in skincare.
Xanthan is used in moisturizers, facial cleansers, creams, lotions, body washes, toothpaste, and foundations. It is 100% natural and ideal to be used in natural shower gels, shampoos, creams, and moisturizers. Xanthan is amazing with its skin conditioning properties. It has the ability to lock in water that helps in maintaining the skin hydration levels. No doubt, Xanthan gum is an amazing active ingredient that you should look forward to while shopping for the best skin care.
