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Xanthan gum in toothpaste?
Hiya,
What variety of xanthan gum is BEST to thicken toothpaste?
FOOD grade
COSMETIC grade
Thanks for the help!
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10 Replies
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I think the big decider will be price - I am currently paying around $14/kg for food grade xanthan; VS what I have been quoted for cosmetic grades of around $70/kg (but I am in NZ and everything costs a lot more here).
The biggest problem I have is that my bosses do not see any value in a cosmetic grade.
Observations I have seen, and this may just be from the xanthan we are using (TIC gums - Ticaxan) is that in some formulations, it is a bit stringy with no ‘snap’, so when filling tubes, there is a lot of tailing and dripping. One formula being a lot worse than the others.
Probably doesn’t help too much - but best to grab a load of different samples and see what works best for you.
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I work for a manufacturer of xanthan gum (not TIC). For us the difference between cosmetic grade and food typically comes down to micro spec- lower for cosmetics than it is for food. There may be some additional tighter specifications but the bioburden is usually the main concern and cost is higher as a result. We also sell a ‘smooth flow’ xanthan that has reduced stringiness that @Herbnerd is mentioning- this is a slightly different polymer from the standard xanthan, but it’s still xanthan overall.
What works ‘best’ will come down to your processing/application needs. Xanthan can have variance on the properties that can be produced for certain conditions -some are more salt tolerant, some have high thickening efficiency (usually at the expense of appearance/ stringiness), some grades we ensure are cellulase free which is beneficial in toothpaste if you are also using CMC, etc. Feel free to DM me or provide more detail on what ‘best’ means to you in this case.
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This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by evchem2.
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For us the difference between cosmetic grade and food typically comes down to micro spec- lower for cosmetics than it is for food
Lower micro spec for cosmetics grade means less microbes allowed or more microbes allowed? (sorry, not native English speaker)
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sorry my wording was unclear 🙂 Less microbes allowed for the cosmetic grade since the shelf life is usually longer than food requirements. For example, one of our food grade xanthan gums has a spec of <2,000 cfu/g bacteria. The equivalent cosmetic grade is <1,000 bacteria cfu/g, and we have customers who request even lower levels.
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Aha… Then I see why cosmetic grade is more expensive. Thnx!
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Just to clarify…does this mean that
1. Cosmetics grade xanthan gum is verified food safe by animal or human testing? Can you put it in, say ketchup for sale?
2. …or that the two are basically identical except for micro specs? I assume there are differences in molecular mass which lead to different viscosities and rheologies, just seeking a confirmation.
Thanks!
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Can’t speak for all xanthan manufacturers, but I think in theory you could use cosmetic grade xanthan in food.. it would be more expensive ketchup compared to just using food grade. For our food grade SKUs we ensure they comply with necessary regulations in a given country/FCC standards for example. Different grades of xanthan have different specification ranges & unique tests based on the final application. Hope that answers your question
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It makes a lot of sense that a cosmetic-grade product would require FEWER microbes than a food-grade. This is something that didn’t occur to me, I’m em-bare-assed to admit! When I run out of my current xanthan gum I’ll be sure to re-order cosmetic-grade and NOT buy any from the grocery store. Thanks so much for the helpful info.!
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glad to help! And yeah I agree with giving your preservatives the best chance to work by limiting incoming microbial burden wherever possible.
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This reply was modified 1 month, 1 week ago by
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Thanks for helping me.
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