I purchased some Tara Gum INCI; Caesalpinia Spinosa (tara) gum from making cosmetics quite some time ago and I’ve been wanting to compared it to xanthan gum soft, but never found the time. So now is the time!
Information from makingcosmetics.com about Tara Gum;
“100% natural gum (polysaccharide) derived from tara seeds. Acts as a thickener, emulsion stabilizer and texturizing agent. It hydrates instantly in water; can be used hot or cold, and is recommended for medium or thick consistency formulation.
Benefits;
Versatile thickener and emulsion stabilizer
Acts as a texturizing agent with non-sticky, non-stringy, and smooth feel
Can be combined with synthetic polymers
Caesalpinia Spinosa gum is non-ionic and is compatible with anionic and cationic ingredients
High resistance to electrolytes
Use; Dissolve in warm or cold water (ideally sprinkle slowly into water under constant high-speed stirring). Typical use level 0.5-2%. For external use only.
Applications; All kinds of skin and hair care products, sun care products, makeup products.” Quoted from MakingCosmetics.com
The first thing I did was create a mixture of distilled water with Tara Gum and another mixture of distilled water with xanthan gum soft.
What I am comparing.
how they look
how much they thicken
the sensory feel of each
Formula I used for Tara Gum Test;
98% distilled water
2% Tara Gum
Directions;
Weigh out the distilled water and sprinkled the Tara Gum on top. You don’t need to pre mix it with glycerin or propanediol unlike xanthan gum. Then mix. The Tara Gum will not thicken immediately. Once you have it mixed it, let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until it fully thickens.
Formula I used for Xanthan Gum Test;
Phase A
3% Glycerin
2% xanthan gum soft
phase B
95% distilled water
Directions;
Weigh out the glycerin & xanthan gum soft and mix together. Once you have them mixed pour in the distilled water and mix again. If you see chunks, let it sit and mix periodically until the xanthan gum is fully hydrated.
What I noticed comparing the two;
Xanthan Gum Soft was clear while Tara Gum was opaque.
Tara Gum thickened more while xanthan gum soft was thinner
Xanthan Gum has bubbles through out the gel while Tara Gum does not
Tara Gum causes pilling on the skin really bad while xanthan gum isn’t as bad, but it still pills. (Xanthn gum soft in small amounts won’t pill)
Xanthan Gum has a chunky like gel while Tara Gum has a smooth gel.
Which is better?
I think it comes down to personal preference. If you want your product to be clear, then you need to use xanthan gum. If you don’t want it to have bubbles then use Tara Gum. If you want a smooth gel without chunks, then use Tara Gum. If you want something that won’t pill as much (which you don’t really need to worry about in rinse off products) then use Xanthan Gum.
Note: this is what I found using Xanthan Gum soft, not Xanthan Gum from Amazon, not Xanthan Gum from the grocery store, not xanthan gum clear, XANTHAN GUM SOFT. This is my favorite xanthan gum and in my opinion preforms the best. Honestly idk why xanthan gum clear exists because xanthan gum soft makes clear gels.
I also created two face wash tests. One with xanthan gum soft and the other with Tara Gum. Here are the formulas.
Tara Gum Face Wash Formula Test;
Phase A
73.5% distilled water
5% glycerin
2% cucumber extract
2% quanternized rice
0.5% liquid germall plus
2% Tara Gum
Phase B
10% foaming apple
5% decyl glucoside
Xanthan Gum Soft Face Wash Formula Test;
Phase A
5% glycerin
2% xanthan gum soft
Phase B
73.5% distilled water
2% cucumber extract
2% quanternized rice
0.5% liquid germall plus
10% foaming apple
5% decyl glucoside
The results were the same with the face wash tests. Xanthan Gum was more clear, had more bubbles and was chunky. When you squeeze the tara gum face wash out of the bottle its nice and smooth, which the xanthan gum is kinda chunky. The chunkiness has never bothered me, but after getting so many messages from you guys, I’ve realized not everyone like it. So I definitely recommend trying the tara gum if you don’t mind that it’s not clear. When you use tara gum instead, I noticed the product itself just feels smoother and softer when you massage in on your skin and in-between your hands. It’s definitely worth trying and feeling for yourself if you’ve never tried it. Let me know if you’ve ever tried Tara Gum before and what your thoughts were.
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