Excellent Active Ingredient

Beta-Glucan

INCI: BETA-GLUCAN

CAS Number
26874-89-5
Function
Skin-conditioning agent, humectant, immunomodulator (beta-1,3/1,6-glucan; anti-inflammatory; moisture retention; stimulates skin immune defense)
Safety Rating
EXCELLENT

Regulatory Status

🇪🇺 EU Status permitted
🇺🇸 US Status permitted
US Notes Permitted; no US concentration cap. Oat-derived; closely related to FDA-approved colloidal oatmeal. HRIPT induction: 1.0% low-level reactions; 0 allergies among 445,820 products sold over 3 years. Effective at 0.1–0.5%.

For full compliance data across 55 jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.

Safety Data

Margin of Safety (MoS)
not established
Dermal Absorption
low
Sensitization
none

Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.

Expert Verdict

Excellent immunomodulatory and film-forming polysaccharide with two key mechanisms: (1) immunomodulatory—stimulates macrophage activity and promotes wound healing via keratinocyte migration while modulating pro-inflammatory cytokine output; (2) film-forming—deposits a hydration-retaining film on the stratum corneum surface sustaining moisturizing effects up to 2 weeks after product discontinuation. Exceptionally low sensitization profile confirmed by HRIPT (1.0% induction reactions only) and real-world data (0 consumer allergies across 445,820 products over 3 years). Closely related to FDA-approved colloidal oatmeal skin protectant. Effective at 0.1–0.5%. Not restricted in EU or US.

⚠️
Concern Level: None

Regulatory Flags

active immunomodulator film-forming soothing wound-healing macrophage-stimulant anti-inflammatory oat-derived natural-origin sensitive-skin atopic-dermatitis-target baby-safe 0.1-0.5pct-effective-dose 2-week-sustained-moisturizing eu_children_restricted

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Beta-Glucan safe in cosmetics?

Excellent immunomodulatory and film-forming polysaccharide with two key mechanisms: (1) immunomodulatory—stimulates macrophage activity and promotes wound healing via keratinocyte migration while modulating pro-inflammatory cytokine output; (2) film-forming—deposits a hydration-retaining film on the stratum corneum surface sustaining moisturizing effects up to 2 weeks after product discontinuation. Exceptionally low sensitization profile confirmed by HRIPT (1.0% induction reactions only) and real-world data (0 consumer allergies across 445,820 products over 3 years). Closely related to FDA-approved colloidal oatmeal skin protectant. Effective at 0.1–0.5%. Not restricted in EU or US. The EU classifies Beta-Glucan as "permitted". Safety rating: EXCELLENT.

Is Beta-Glucan allowed in the EU?

Beta-Glucan EU regulatory status: permitted. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.

What does Beta-Glucan do in cosmetics?

Beta-Glucan functions as: Skin-conditioning agent, humectant, immunomodulator (beta-1,3/1,6-glucan; anti-inflammatory; moisture retention; stimulates skin immune defense). It is classified as a Active Ingredient in our database. CAS number: 26874-89-5.

What is the Margin of Safety for Beta-Glucan?

not established The Margin of Safety (MoS) is calculated using SCCS methodology. A MoS above 100 is generally considered safe. Use the MoS Calculator tool to calculate MoS for your specific formulation and product category.

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