APG: The Natural, Biodegradable Surfactant

“Sulfate-free” and “natural” cleansers have to clean with something. More often than not, that something is an alkyl polyglucoside (APG) — the surfactant that lets a formulator drop sulfates without losing mildness or foam. For sourcing and R&D teams, the practical questions are what an APG actually is, why it carries the natural and biodegradable claims, and how the common glucosides differ when you specify them.

What is an alkyl polyglucoside (APG)?

An alkyl polyglucoside (APG) is a nonionic surfactant made by combining renewable fatty alcohols (from coconut or palm kernel oil) with glucose (from corn or starch). The fatty alcohol forms the oil-loving tail and the glucose forms the water-loving head. APGs are valued for mildness, good foaming with co-surfactants, and ready biodegradability, which is why they anchor sulfate-free and “natural” formulations.

The chemistry is straightforward: a sugar is reacted with a fatty alcohol over an acid catalyst at elevated temperature to form the glucoside bond. Because the surfactant carries no net charge, it behaves differently from anionic workhorses such as SLES — it is non-irritating to the eyes relative to many anionics, stable across a wide pH range, and compatible with most other surfactant classes. You can read the catalogue entry for alkyl polyglucosides for trade names and grades.

Why are APGs considered natural and biodegradable?

APGs read as “natural” for two concrete reasons: both halves of the molecule come from renewable, plant-based feedstock, and they are reported as readily biodegradable. The fatty alcohol is sourced from coconut or palm kernel oil and the glucose from corn or starch, so the renewable carbon content is high — BASF, for example, states a renewable carbon index of 100% for its Glucopon range.

On biodegradability, the responsible claim is to defer to the supplier’s test data rather than assert a number. BASF describes its Glucopon APGs as readily biodegradable, which under the OECD 301 test methods means at least 60% degradation within 28 days. That figure is grade-specific, so treat “readily biodegradable” as a property to confirm on the technical data sheet, not a universal constant.

Decyl glucoside vs lauryl glucoside vs coco glucoside

The three glucosides you will see most often are all alkyl polyglucosides; what separates them is the fatty-alcohol chain length, which shifts foam character and solubility. Decyl glucoside uses a shorter alcohol and tends to be the more soluble, brisker foamer; lauryl glucoside uses a longer alcohol and contributes a denser, more stable foam; coco glucoside is built on a coconut-derived blend of chain lengths and sits between the two. None is universally “better” — the choice tracks the foam and clarity you need.

Berstin lists both decyl glucoside and lauryl glucoside as separate materials so you can specify the exact glucoside rather than an unqualified “APG”.

Where are APGs used, and how do you formulate with them?

APGs appear across personal care (facial washes, shampoos, body washes, baby cleansers) and home care (dishwashing, hard-surface and laundry products), wherever a mild, sulfate-free surfactant is the brief. In practice they are rarely the only surfactant in a system.

The reliable pattern is to pair an alkyl polyglucoside with a co-surfactant. An amphoteric such as coco betaine lifts foam volume and stability and helps build viscosity, which a nonionic APG does not do well on its own. That primary-plus-secondary logic mirrors how anionic systems are built, and it is why “natural” cleansers usually list a glucoside and a betaine together near the top of the ingredient list.

Sourcing APGs: grades and trade names

When you specify an APG, you are really specifying a glucoside, an active level and a documentation set. APGs are supplied under trade names such as Plantacare and Glucopon, typically at around 50% active or 70% active, and ship under HS code 3402.42. The catalogue entry carries the vegan and biodegradable badges for the material.

Berstin supplies alkyl polyglucosides — including decyl and lauryl glucoside — and the co-surfactants that round out a sulfate-free system, in multiple grades from a curated manufacturer network. Tell us the glucoside, the active concentration and your destination market, and we will respond with technical data, lead times and indicative pricing.