Cetearyl glucoside comes from cetearyl alcohol and glucose (sugar). It’s sold with cetearyl alcohol as an emulsifier blend and also provides some body to the formula. In the realm of emulsifiers, they hold water and oil mixtures together by promoting liquid crystal formation which is similar to the structure within skin.
Science
1
Fiume MM, Heldreth B, Bergfeld WF, Belsito DV, Hill RA, Klaassen CD, Liebler D, Marks JG Jr, Shank RC, Slaga TJ, Snyder PW, Andersen FA. Safety assessment of decyl glucoside and other alkyl glucosides as used in cosmetics. Int J Toxicol. 2013 Sep-Oct;32(5 Suppl):22S-48S. doi: 10.1177/1091581813497764. PMID: 24174472.