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Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide

What Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide is & what it does

A prebiotic sugar that nourishes beneficial skin flora and helps keep the microbiome balanced, supporting a calmer, healthier-looking surface.

What does Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide do in skincare?

Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide is a sugar-based ingredient often used as a skin-conditioning agent and is commonly described as a prebiotic. The idea is to support the balance of the skin's natural microflora. In a formula it mainly serves a conditioning and soothing role.

Is Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide natural or synthetic?

It is generally produced from plant sugars through fermentation, which makes it a naturally derived ingredient. It is a chain of glucose units, a type of oligosaccharide. Plant-sourced grades are typically suitable for vegan products.

Is Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide safe?

This ingredient is a mild, sugar-based material used at low levels and is generally considered well tolerated on skin. It is water-soluble and works at the skin surface. As with any cosmetic ingredient, individual sensitivities can occur, so a patch test is reasonable if your skin reacts easily.

Sunscreens with Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide

We rate 47 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

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