Dextrin

Irritancy: unknownComedogenicity: unknownAbsorbent

The details

Dextrin is a starch-derived polysaccharide. It's made by partially breaking down corn, potato, or other plant starches. Think of it as "half-processed" starch; it's less complex than the original but not fully broken down into sugar like maltodextrin . In cosmetics, it mainly functions as a bulking agent, viscosity controller, binder, and absorbent. It helps thicken products, stabilize powders, and get certain textures a less "wet" feel. This ingredient has a pretty solid safety profile; it's recognized as a safe food additive and its large molecular size means it doesn't meaningfully penetrate skin. Human repeat insult patch tests using a rinse-off facial product containing 42.69% dextrin found no skin irritation or sensitization in 54 subjects. Typical real-world usage is much lower: usually under 1% as a texture modifier and up to 40% in masks (rinse off products use less).