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Theory: Recognizing a Good Shampoo (Part 2 — Glucosides)
Hello Hello! 😀 Following our session on SLES and Betaine, it is time to look at another very common surfactant combination: The Glucosides.
If you see these ingredients in an INCI, you are likely looking at a “Bio” or “Eco-friendly” shampoo. Glucosides are Non-Ionic surfactants, meaning they carry no electrical charge. They are prized in green chemistry because they are usually easily biodegradable and derived from natural sources.
Common Glucosides in the INCI:
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Lauryl Glucoside
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Decyl Glucoside
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Coco Glucoside
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Caprylyl/Capric Glucoside (A particularly good solubilizer for oils)
The “Gentle” Myth
It is important to remember: a “gentle” surfactant doesn’t automatically mean a gentle shampoo! A poorly formulated glucoside shampoo can still be aggressive, just as a well-formulated SLES shampoo can be very mild.
However, because they are non-ionic, they are generally less irritating to the scalp and are the “gold standard” for baby products and sensitive skin. The trade-off? They are less conditioning than the SLES+Betaine combo. A good formulator will compensate for this by adding extra conditioning agents or proteins.
INCI Case Studies: The Glucoside Base
Example 1: The Complex Herbal Blend
Water, Decyl Glucoside, Cocoglucoside, Glycerin, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, [Extracts], Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate...
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Analysis: This is a very well-thought-out formula. Using two different glucosides followed by Betaine and Disodium Cocoamphodiacetate creates a “surfactant cocktail.” The more surfactants you blend, the milder the result usually is. It looks like a very gentle, high-quality formulation!
Example 2: The “Minimalist” Eco-Shampoo
Water, Disodium Cocopolyglucose Citrate, Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, [Extracts]...
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Analysis: Very simple and very green. All these surfactants are easily biodegradable and mild. However, notice the lack of conditioning agents. While “clean,” this shampoo might lack the wetting ability needed for thick hair and could leave it feeling a bit tangled.
Example 3: The Lipid-Enriched Formula
Aqua, Coco Glucoside, Lauryl Glucoside, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Decyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Oleate...
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Analysis: Here, Glyceryl Oleate is added specifically to “re-fat” the hair and make the wash even milder. You also see many essential oils (Tea Tree, Rosemary) added for sebum regulation. While honey is listed (great for label appeal!), its actual effect in a wash-off product is likely minimal compared to the surfactants.
Summary: Why Choose Glucosides?
| Feature | Glucoside-Based Shampoos |
| Sustainability | High (Easily biodegradable) |
| Charge | Non-Ionic (No charge) |
| Skin Feel | Very low irritation, good for delicate scalps |
| Formulation | Often more expensive/difficult to thicken than SLES |
| Best For | Babies, eco-conscious consumers, very sensitive scalps |
Interestingly, I have yet to find a “terrible” INCI that uses a glucoside base—usually, if a company is spending the money on these surfactants, they are also putting effort into the rest of the balance!
Do you have a “Green” shampoo at home? Check the label and see if you can spot these glucosides! 😀
IT'S ALL IN MY HANDS 
Firstly, I just discovered your website and I absolutely love it! It’s so informative, I feel like I will be making better decisions after reading through your posts
My question: can you give us a list of all the bad ingredients and why they are bad? Even if you don’t like them due to personal opinion (like the PEG ones), please let us know why it is an undesired ingredient. Please and thank you!
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Thank you for your comment Ani! 😀
My third post about recognizing a good shampoo is going to be about all the extra ingredients and I will of course talk about group of ingredients trying to give you all the “tools” to make a choice for yourself 🙂
I was thinking of explaining why some people dread this or that ingredient and so on (I am not so black and white 😀 for example I add little bit of silicons in my shampoo sometimes 😀 ) but I will definitely explain why I don’t like certain ingredients! It will be done! 😀
Thank you again!
– C
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Great articles. I do have lots of Decy Glucoside and CAPB around lolz. However I also find that Decylglucoside doesnt have good wetting capabilities lke SLES and thus it does not give good feeling on hair. What do you think about this and a combination of Glucosides & Cap Betaine only?
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That’s it!
How you said it 🙂
However… Using always sles based shampoos tends to irritate my scalp after a while so I tend to switch sles-based and glucosides-based.
The “problem” sometimes is how to thicken them up (sclerotium gum maybe?) or how to make them more performing.
In this case you could add ingredients that help the feel of the shampoo (for example polyquaternium 7 or 10) 🙂 try to find things that will make the shampoo more comfortable and all will be well 🙂
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There are also some surfactants to add as an “extra” that help with this 🙂
So in conclusion: formulating a shampoo is not that difficult… Formulating a great shampoo is a bit more complicated and it takes a lot of trial and error… But this is also the beauty of it! 🙂
So try and enjoy 🙂 you will be happy!!
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You are right about making a great shampoo ha ha. It is hard to avoid sulfate surfactant but only buy from locals 😀 .
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Hey! Thank you so much for your wonderful blog 🙂 I have learned so much from you and frequently refer readers to your site!
I read in your guide to formulating a detergent that non-ionic surfactants “are usually not used in shampoos because they don’t leave a comfortable feeling on the hair (it makes them feel dry) unless they are included in the formulation in small amount (and therefore they work more as foam stabilizers)”, but here we have quite a few shampoos that use non-ionic surfactants as the primary surfactants in the surfactant blend, and you’ve analyzed them favourably. I was hoping you could elaborate 🙂 Cheers!
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The most comfortable shampoos do contain non-ionic. For example I have never found for my long hair a good eco-friendly shampoo from the point of view of their performance… But they were “good” from the point of view of the INCI.
It all depends on your hair and on your priorities 🙂 however this is an old post and NOW there are non-ionics surfactants which are good too so things are not so black and white anymore! 🙂
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