A Brief History and How It’s Made

According to an article from Science Direct, xanthan gum has only been around since the early 1960s. It was discovered during a screening where the United States Department of Agriculture was looking for new industrial gums. Xanthan gum was then approved as a food additive by the Food and Drug Administration in 1968. Since then, it’s found its way into a lot of food and skincare products.

Xanthan gum is a type of sugar called a polysaccharide. This sugar is made from a bacteria called Xanthomonas campestris through the process of fermentation. Manufacturers pull this bacteria from a wide variety of plants to aid in the process. When the process is completed, it contains no viable bacteria which means there is zero chance of you getting an infection.

Manufacturers make xanthan gum by pulling bacteria from many different plants. Medical News Today stated that the finished product does not contain any viable bacteria, so there is no risk of xanthan gum causing infections.

How It’s Used in Skincare

Xanthan gum is by no means a star ingredient that would make you buy certain skincare products. Its main purpose is that it enhances the texture of the product it’s used in, which is why it’s used so often. More specifically, it is a binder, emulsifier, and thickening agent.

As you might have guessed, a binder brings ingredients together. An emulsifier helps mix oil and water-based ingredients to create a more stable product and stop them from separating. Its job as a thickening agent is purely for how the product feels. Even if it makes up less than 1% of the ingredients, it still can increase the thickness of liquids and improve the texture of a product.

So, what products can you find xanthan gum in? Here are just a few:

• Moisturizers

• Foot powders and sprays

• Face and neck creams/lotions

• Cleansers

• Body and hand creams/lotions

• Eye Makeup

• Face Makeup

• Fragrance

• Haircare products

• Hair dye

• Soap

• Deodorant

You can even find DIY recipes for pore strips that use xanthan gum.

Silky Smooth but Not Much More

So while it’s easy to see why xanthan gum is in so many skincare and cosmetic products. It’s a solid team player, but not an all-star. This is because it benefits the product rather than your skin. 

Because it is an emulsifier, it gives you the feel of the product you want, but the product overall is what gives you the skin you want. Even if xanthan gum was beneficial to the skin, at most only around 2% of the composition of a product is xanthan gum. 

It is important to note that there hasn’t been enough research done on the benefits of xanthan gum in higher quantities. The research that has been done has been on the foods we eat and how we digest xanthan gum.

What It Does to Your Skin

So while it has no known benefits to your skin, at least there are no known negative side effects for you to worry about. It’s seen as being fine on nearly every skin type which is yet another reason it’s so commonly used.

With that being said, you should be cautious if you have a corn, wheat, soy, or dairy allergy, you may react to it. While the chances of an allergic reaction are low, we recommend consulting your dermatologist if you do see a negative reaction to products with xanthan gum. Though it is more likely to be another ingredient that caused the reaction.

What Dermatologists Have to Say

So while we know that the Food and Drug Administration has given xanthan gum the go-ahead, what do dermatologists have to say?

The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has assessed the safety of xanthan gum, as well as other microbial polysaccharides that are derived from bacteria. It has been concluded that xanthan gum, as well as these other ingredients, are safe to use in cosmetics and skincare as:

• An emulsion stabilizer

• A film former

• A binder

• A viscosity-increasing agent

• A skin conditioning agent

The Takeaway

While it’s solid in a supporting role, xanthan gum won’t be taking home any awards for being the star of the show. 

On the plus side, it’s virtually safe for any skin type and works well with most ingredients, and will give your products the texture you want. Overall, it’s nothing to worry about.