Sucrose Cocoate

Sucrose cocoate is a nonionic sugar–fatty acid ester used mainly as a surfactant/emulsifier (commonly a few percent, higher in cleansers), and surfactant activity is a well-established driver of irritant contact dermatitis risk—especially on compromised or eczematous skin. While generally considered milder than many anionic surfactants, clinical patch-test and real-world use still show occasional irritation in reactive individuals, and leave-on exposure can amplify this. Given cumulative routine use (cleansers plus leave-ons) and high-risk sensitive populations, a mild but non-trivial irritancy score is warranted. Safety Notes: In commercial products, sucrose cocoate is commonly used at very low levels (~0.1–1%) as a mild co-surfactant/solubilizer or emollient in leave-on creams/lotions and micellar/low-foam cleansers, where it supports skin feel and helps disperse oils. In rinse-off cleansers and syndet-style bars it is used higher (typically ~2–10%) to boost mildness and foam quality, with the upper end observed in consumer-available “ultra-mild” cleansing bars and concentrated surfactant bases reaching about 15–25% as the primary/nonionic surfactant component. There is no specific EU/FDA cosmetic maximum concentration limit for sucrose cocoate; practical limits are driven by viscosity/phase behavior and cleansing system performance.

Suitability