What Are Guar Derivatives and How Are They Used in Hair Care Applications?

As the hair care market requires innovative products with more natural ingredients, formulators continue to utilize renewable raw materials for a variety of different functionalities. The guar plant is an increasingly prominent resource used in a wide range of hair conditioning and repair solutions, and the experts at Syensqo modify the endosperm of guar seeds to offer formulators high-performing, eco-friendly hair care solutions. Through advanced methods and cutting-edge chemistry, Syensqo's experts extract and optimize guar for the ideal formulation compatibility and high performance in today’s shampoos, conditioners and repair treatments. 
 

What Are Guar Derivatives?

Guar derivatives are water-soluble, natural polymers made from the endosperm of guar seeds that are used to perform an abundance of functionalities in personal care products. Syensqo manipulates guar into non-ionic and cationic ranges to deliver a broad portfolio of naturally derived thickening polymers, hair conditioning polymers and long-lasting hair repair ingredients.

Non-Ionic Guar Range

The non-ionic guar range for hair care consists of hydroxypropylated guars, initially used to  thicken formulations. Hydroxypropylation of guar increases its hydration speed as well as its compatibility with glycols and alcohols. Additionally, hydroxypropylated guars like Syensqo's Jaguar^® HP 105 also deliver conditioning benefits to hair when introduced into rinse-off conditioners or leave-in treatments. They impart softness to hair as well as richer feel during use. Jaguar^® HP 105 can facilitate the lowering or replacement of cationic surfactants in conditioners to reduce environmental impact.
 

Cationic Guar Range

The cationic guar range for hair care applications is comprised of mono-derivatized guar and double-derivatized guar. Mono-derivatized guar, or guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride are quaternized guar derivatives, while double-derivatized guars, or hydroxypropyl guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, are both quaternized and hydroxypropylated. 

Syensqo's Naternal^TM Excel is a mono-derivatized guar ingredient with high clarity, medium wet conditioning ability by itself and good active deposition for fine hair, baby hair care products and several other hair targets including slightly damaged hair. This ultra-clear guar polymer delivers excellent wet and dry conditioning benefits without build-up, and it is extremely compatible with silicone- and sulfate-free surfactants for a range of naturally derived, transparent nourishing shampoos. 

Additionally, Syensqo's Jaguar^® Optima is another outstanding quaternized guar derivative for hair care with good hair conditioning ability by itself that provides a slippery wet feel without heaviness. This biobased hair conditioning polymer enables exceptional deposition ability of finely dispersed ingredients, such as anti-dandruff actives, emulsified oils and others, onto the hair and scalp. Accordingly, Jaguar^® Optima serves as an ideal polyquaternium-10 (PQ-10) replacement and is well-suited for sulfate- and silicone-free repairing and nourishing formulations. 

Jaguar^® C 162, Syensqo's double derivatized guar ingredient, is a non-ecotoxic grade that displays good wet conditioning ability alone. This conditioning polymer is suitable for clear shampoo formulation and additionally, it delivers good active deposition on over-processed hair making it best-suited for repairing over-processed hair. 

Polycare^® Split Therapy completes Syensqo's double-derivatized guar range and provides formulators with a heat-, combing- and washing-resistant split-end repair active ingredient. This biobased polymer repairs up to 90 percent of split ends after just one use. Polycare^® Split Therapy is used in an array of hair treatments, serums, shampoos and conditioners. 

For more information on how guar derivatives can be used in today’s most advanced hair care formulations, contact our experts.