Quick answer: alpha-glucan oligosaccharide and beta-glucan are not one “glucan” purchasing line. They are different INCIs, usually different CAS lines, and different formula jobs. Order the page that matches the brief; do not let warehouse shorthand collapse both into one carbohydrate SKU.
Specify Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide for Skin covers the prebiotic powder. This page separates it from Beta-Glucan.
Not one “glucan” on the purchase order
Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide is a short-chain α-linked oligosaccharide. CosIng-style definitions describe glucosyl-transferase work on sugar substrates and a low degree of polymerization. Public CAS for that INCI is often 27707-45-5, though some CosIng mirrors omit CAS for the name. The product page sells a ≥98% water-soluble powder for microbiome / prebiotic briefs.
Beta-Glucan on this site is a different INCI. The oat grade lists CAS 9041-22-9 and a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide story: soothing, barrier support, and film-forming hydration in water. Synonyms on that page include oat and yeast beta-glucan. Powder purity there is listed at ≥80%; liquid grades are dilute actives with different weighing math.
The same repeating-unit formula (C6H10O5)n can appear on both families without making them interchangeable lots. If the brief only says “glucan,” ask which linkage, which INCI, and which CAS before you request a sample.
Different jobs in the formula
Alpha-glucan oligosaccharide is written into briefs as a bioselective prebiotic carbohydrate. Suggested use on its page is 0.5–3.0%, heat-stable in the water phase. Inventory language sits at skin conditioning; the commercial brief places it in microbiome-oriented chassis.
Beta-glucan powder on its page is typically used much lower for the neat polymer (about 0.1–1.0%), or at higher percentages when the commercial form is a dilute liquid (for a 1% liquid, the page cites about 5–20%). It is dispersed carefully to hydrate without clumps. Pairing suggestions there run toward panthenol, madecassoside, and ceramides—not toward replacing a prebiotic oligosaccharide line.
You can place both in one chassis when the brief wants prebiotic sugar and a soothing β-glucan film. That is two SKUs, two COAs, two assay methods.
Process is not interchangeable either
Alpha-glucan oligosaccharide dissolves readily in water and can enter the aqueous phase during heating within the listed pH window. The main handling risk is moisture pickup in the drum.
Beta-glucan needs controlled hydration. The powder page asks for slow dispersion under agitation so the polymer does not clump. Liquid grades change the percent you write on the formula sheet. Copying a 0.5–3% oligosaccharide window onto a neat beta-glucan powder, or copying a 0.1–1% beta-glucan powder window onto this oligosaccharide, is a process error as well as an identity error.
What changes on the purchase order
| Field | Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide | Beta-Glucan (this site) |
|---|---|---|
| INCI | Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide | Beta-Glucan |
| Common CAS | 27707-45-5 (confirm on pack) | 9041-22-9 (oat grade listed) |
| Typical ask | Prebiotic / microbiome | Soothing / barrier / hydration film |
| Form on page | ≥98% powder | Powder ≥80%, or dilute liquid |
| Use band on page | 0.5–3.0% powder | 0.1–1.0% powder (liquid grades differ) |
| Process note | Water-soluble, heat-stable addition | Slow hydration to avoid clumps |
What to put in the sample or quote email
- Exact INCI: Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide or Beta-Glucan
- Matching CAS for the grade you want
- Physical form and assay
- The formula job in one line (prebiotic sugar vs soothing β-glucan) so the wrong carbohydrate is not substituted
- If both are needed, two separate lines with two pack sizes
Documents and samples for the oligosaccharide are on the Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide page. The polysaccharide has its own Beta-Glucan page. Send the inquiry to the page that matches the INCI you locked.
If the brief that started this comparison was actually a Bioecolia substitution ask, return to Bioecolia and Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide Spec before you quote.
