Hydroxypropyl xanthan gum
AKA “Modified Xanthan Gum, Xanthan Gum”
Ingredient
Ingredient Facts
Hydroxypropyl xanthan gum
AKA: Modified Xanthan Gum
Ingredient · Emulsion Stabilising · EWG: 4
Plant-Derived Synthetic
Occlusive
Emulsifier
Not Clean
Hydroxypropyl Xanthan Gum is the hydroxypropyl ether of Xanthan Gum
CAS #
-
Form
Powder
See origin →
Functions
Emulsion Stabilising
Forces oil and water to stay mixed instead of separating into layers. The unsung hero holding your lotion together.
Film Forming
Creates a physical seal on skin to lock moisture in and keep irritants out. The "slugging" ingredient — barrier protection.
Viscosity Controlling
Stabilizes Emulsion
Creates Protective Barrier
Controls Viscosity
Reduces Inflammation
Locks In Moisture
Fights Bacteria
Creates protective layer
Keeps product blended
Controls product thickness
Traditional Use
Xanthan gum, produced by fermentation of the Xanthomonas campestris bacterium, was first commercialized in the 1960s. The hydroxypropylated version was developed to enhance rheological properties in cosmetic gels.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
General
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
EWG
4
CIR
Safe as used
Pregnancy
Yes
CIR Safety Findings
Not a Sensitizer
medical-approval
all-shades-safe
Concentration Guide
Industry Max
Industry typically uses up to 6.0% in leave-on products (2782 products reported). Source: CIR Safety Assessment (CIR Seq 611).
Regulatory Agencies
Xanthan gum in drug release.
Hernán Cortes, Isaac H Caballero-Florán, Néstor Mendoza-Muñoz, Lidia Escutia-Guadarrama, Gabriela Figueroa-González, Octavio D Reyes-Hernández + 6 more
Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France), 2020
Dehydroxanthan Gum
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Hydroxypropyl Xanthan Gum
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Xanthan gum
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Xanthan Gum Crosspolymer
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Xanthan gum
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Surface Morphology of Cosmetic Film Consisting of PEG-Diisostearate Amphiphilic Random Copolymer, Xanthan Gum, and Solvents.
Kaji M, Takeyama Y, Nioh A, Tsuyuki M, Akatsuka H et al.
Journal of oleo science, 2017
Preparation of sodium alginate and xanthan gum bionanocom...
Seyyede Fatemeh Mousavi, Nasser Arsalani, Marjan Ghorbani
International journal of biological macromolecules, 2025
Preparation of sodium alginate and xanthan gum bionanocom...
Seyyede Fatemeh Mousavi, Nasser Arsalani, Marjan Ghorbani
International journal of biological macromolecules, 2025
Preparation of sodium alginate and xanthan gum bionanocom...
Seyyede Fatemeh Mousavi, Nasser Arsalani, Marjan Ghorbani
International journal of biological macromolecules, 2025
Physicochemical stability of maize germ oil body emulsions as influenced by oil body surface-xanthan gum interactions.
Nikiforidis CV, Kiosseoglou V
Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 2010
Physicochemical stability of maize germ oil body emulsions as influenced by oil body surface-xanthan gum interactions.
Nikiforidis CV, Kiosseoglou V
Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 2010
Xanthan gum in aqueous solutions: Fundamentals and applications.
Nsengiyumva EM, Alexandridis P
International journal of biological macromolecules, 2022
Verified Jun 2026
Data: CosIng · EWG · CIR