Cosmetic Grade
Guar gum stabilizes the oil-water emulsion in creams and lotions against separation through cosmetic-standard shelf testing, gives formulators a shear-thinning texture that feels substantial in the jar but spreads easily on skin, and dries to a light, flexible film for hold in styling and setting products.
Overview
Cosmetic Grade (GG-COS) is developed specifically for cosmetic and personal care manufacturers. In an emulsified cream or lotion, guar gum's viscosity-building plays the same stabilizing role it plays in any oil-water emulsion — slowing the rate at which oil droplets separate from the water phase — but cosmetic products are held to a longer and more demanding stability standard than most other categories: a multi-year shelf claim tested through accelerated aging (storage at elevated temperatures) and freeze-thaw cycling, rather than the weeks-to-months window most food products need to survive. Guar gum's shear-thinning behavior also does double duty on the sensory side: a cream can be formulated to feel rich and substantial in the jar, spread easily under the shear of application, and then rebuild a light cushion on the skin once it's at rest. Typical dosage ranges from 0.1–1.5%, adjustable to your target viscosity, from light serums to heavy-bodied creams.
Worth being explicit about the boundary with our pharmaceutical-category grades: this page covers cosmetic-classified products — hydration and finish claims, not therapeutic ones — which is a different regulatory pathway from a drug-classified topical gel.
Key Benefits
Skin Hydration
Forms a light film that helps the skin retain moisture, supporting hydration claims in creams and lotions.
Viscosity Modifier
Precisely adjustable thickening for creams, gels, and lotions, from light serums to rich, heavy-bodied creams.
Film-Forming
Dries down to a light, flexible film that improves the finish and hold of styling and setting products.
Emulsion Stability in Creams & Lotions
Slows the separation of oil and water phases in an emulsified cream or lotion, supporting the accelerated aging and freeze-thaw stability testing cosmetic products are typically held to over a multi-year shelf claim.
Skin-Feel via Shear-Thinning
Formulate a cream that feels rich and substantial in the jar, spreads easily under the shear of application, and rebuilds a light cushion on skin once at rest — the same shear-thinning property behind the product's viscosity, tuned here for sensory feel rather than pourability.
Particle & Pigment Suspension
Keeps exfoliating beads, mica, or pigment particles evenly distributed in scrubs and tinted formulations, preventing the settling that shows up as an uneven product on shelf or an inconsistent dose per use.
Mild-Surfactant System Thickening
Provides an alternative viscosity-building mechanism for sulfate-free and mild-surfactant cleanser systems, which don't respond to salt-based thickening as reliably as traditional sulfate surfactant systems do.
Cosmetic-Grade Whiteness & Clarity
Contributes a clean, neutral base color rather than an off-white or yellow cast, which matters directly in premium white cream formulations where the thickening agent's own color can visibly affect the finished product.
Technical Specifications
| Product Code | GG-COS |
| Category | Cosmetic & Pet |
| Recommended Dosage | 0.1–1.5% |
| Primary Application | Face creams & moisturizers, Body lotions, Serums, Exfoliating scrubs, Shampoos, Styling gels, Setting lotions, Sulfate-free body washes & cleansers, Tinted lotions & BB creams |
Formulation Guidance
When skin feel is a formulation priority, test viscosity at both low shear (at-rest, representing jar behavior) and high shear (representing application and spreading) rather than relying on a single-point viscosity reading — the two can diverge significantly, and a measurement taken only at rest can miss how the product actually performs during use.
In sulfate-free or mild-surfactant cleanser systems, where salt-based thickening — the common approach with traditional sulfate surfactants — doesn't work as reliably, guar gum can serve as an alternative viscosity-building mechanism. Test against your specific surfactant blend rather than assuming performance carries over from a sulfate-based formulation, since the interaction between guar gum and different surfactant systems varies.
For scrubs or tinted products carrying solid particulates, build viscosity to its full target before adding exfoliating beads or pigment particles, so the suspending medium is already at full strength when the particles need to be held in place, rather than settling during the mixing process before viscosity has fully developed.
Ready to Trial Cosmetic Grade?
Our technical team can help with dosage guidance and formulation support.