COSMETICS & PERSONAL CARE
Vanderbilt Minerals
Norwalk, Connecticut, USA · Founded 1916 · Part of R.T. Vanderbilt Holding Company
Mineral rheology, made reproducible.
Natural rheology modifiers have a reputation for inconsistency. Vanderbilt Minerals built its position by removing that variable: water-washed, purified smectite clays supplied to controlled specifications, grade by grade, so a formulator gets the same dispersion behaviour from one batch to the next.
The company has supplied the personal care, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries for more than sixty years, from a mineral base that goes back to 1916. VEEGUM magnesium aluminum silicate and VANATURAL bentonite clay are effectively the reference standards for mineral emulsion and suspension stabilisation.
- Cosmetics & Personal Care
Over 400 mineral salts and more than 7,000 specifications. The specification count is the more meaningful number: it is the measure of how far a grade can be tailored.
ABOUT THIS PRINCIPAL
A century of mineral processing, applied to skin.
Vanderbilt Minerals began in 1916 when Robert Thurlow Vanderbilt sold clay to paper mills from an office in New York City. The company still mines and processes its own minerals, which is the structural reason its personal care grades behave consistently: purification, particle size, and substitution are controlled inside the same organisation that sells the finished grade.
The personal care portfolio is deliberately narrow and deep. Rather than a broad speciality catalogue, it is a set of closely specified grades of three chemistries: magnesium aluminum silicate, bentonite, and xanthan gum, each offered in variants tuned for pH range, electrolyte tolerance, hydration speed, and certification status.
Clay and gum together outperform either alone. The synergy between a purified smectite and xanthan is one of the most reliable stabilisation tools available to a natural formulator.
ADCHEM distributes the Vanderbilt Minerals personal care range with dispersion and grade selection support from our own formulation laboratories, including preparation protocols, which is where most mineral rheology projects go wrong.
FEATURED TECHNOLOGY
Why purified smectite behaves differently.
The performance of a mineral rheology modifier is decided by purification and grade control, not by the mineral name on the label.
PURIFICATION
Water-washed smectite
Water washing removes the accessory minerals that make raw clays unpredictable. What remains is a platy, high aspect ratio particle that builds structure at low use levels and disperses reproducibly.
SYNERGY
Clay and gum systems
Smectite clays are synergistic with xanthan gum and cellulose gums. The combination provides greater thickening, stabilising and suspending performance than the sum of the individual components, which is the practical basis of most VEEGUM formulations.
GRADE DESIGN
pH and electrolyte tailoring
Grades are engineered for defined use cases: VEEGUM Ultra disperses in the 4.2 to 5.2 pH range to match the skin's own acidity, while VEEGUM HS is built for maximum electrolyte stability and minimum acid demand.
SENSORY
Tack removal
Purified smectites reduce the slippery or sticky feel of gums and polymers and leave a silky, tack-free finish. In natural formulation this is often the deciding factor rather than the viscosity number.
Portfolio
The Vanderbilt Minerals personal care portfolio.
Three chemistries, supplied as closely specified grades.
VEEGUM R
What it is
The original and most widely used magnesium aluminum silicate grade; NATRUE approved
Primary Use
General purpose emulsion and suspension stabilisation across skin care and personal care
VEEGUM HV
What it is
High viscosity grade giving emulsion and suspension stability at low use levels
Primary Use
Creams, lotions, and suspensions where efficiency at low addition matters
VEEGUM HS
What it is
Maximum electrolyte stability with minimum acid demand and relatively low viscosity contribution
Primary Use
Hair care with conditioning agents, face masks, high-load cleansing systems
VEEGUM CH
What it is
Fine powder grade suitable for high pH systems and for dry powder addition
Primary Use
Dry powder formulations, depilatories, high pH aqueous systems
VEEGUM Ultra
What it is
Acidic smectite dispersing in the 4.2 to 5.2 pH range; the easiest grade to hydrate, uniquely white
Primary Use
Sunscreens, acne treatments, exfoliants, and any low pH formulation
VEEGUM Pure
What it is
General purpose grade meeting ecological and organic cosmetic standards; OMRI, Ecocert Greenlife and COSMOS listed
Primary Use
Certified natural and organic skin care
VEEGUM D
What it is
Dental care grade giving stable, short paste or gel structure with good brush stand-up and rinseability
Primary Use
Dentifrices and oral care, with minimal inhibition of fluoride recovery
VAN GEL range
What it is
Magnesium aluminum silicate grades for rheology control and stabilisation
Primary Use
Suspension and emulsion systems across personal care and adjacent applications
VANATURAL Bentonite Clay
What it is
Rapidly hydrating, water-washed bentonite; OMRI listed and Ecocert Greenlife authorised
Primary Use
Natural and organic topical products requiring fast dispersion and hydration
VANATURAL XGB
What it is
Bentonite grade authorised under Ecocert and COSMOS standards
Primary Use
Certified organic emulsion and suspension stabilisation
VANZAN xanthan gum
What it is
Xanthan gum grades including USP/NF compliant material, with rheology stable across a broad temperature range
Primary Use
Thickening and suspension, used alone or synergistically with the clay grades
VANZAN NF-F
What it is
Finely ground xanthan grade conforming to the USP/NF xanthan gum monograph
Primary Use
Tablets, reconstitutable powders, and dry powder formulations
APPLICATION AREAS
Where Vanderbilt chemistry performs.
Emulsion and suspension stabilisation
The core application of Veegum. Purified smectite combined with xanthan gum provides one of the most reliable natural stabilization systems available, even at low use levels. It prevents phase separation, improves viscosity, and maintains long-term formulation stability in creams, lotions, emulsions, and suspensions.
VEEGUM R
VEEGUM HV
VANZAN
Pressed & Compact Powder Innovation
The platy mineral structure provides excellent natural binding in pressed powders while eliminating machine clogging and preventing product cracking after compression without the payoff penalty often associated with synthetic binders.
VEEGUM CH
VANATURAL
Breakthrough in Face Masks & Treatment Formats
Traditional masks often clog pores and strip away moisture. Veegum's charged mineral structure enables easy removal, deep cleansing, and hydration, making it ideal for acne-prone skin. It also serves as both the rheology modifier and an active part of the product concept in clay masks, instant masks, and cleansing treatments.
VEEGUM HS
VANATURAL
Low pH & Sensitive Skin Formulations
VEEGUM Ultra disperses efficiently within the skin's natural acidic pH range, making it particularly suitable for acid treatments, exfoliating products, acne care formulations, and other low pH cosmetic systems.
VEEGUM ULTRA
Sun Care Formulations
Provides outstanding mineral stabilization in high-solids sunscreen systems containing inorganic UV filters, where high electrolyte and pigment loads often reduce the effectiveness of conventional polymers.
VEEGUM ULTRA
VEEGUM HS
Oral Care Applications
A dedicated dental-grade Veegum engineered for toothpaste and oral care formulations. It provides excellent paste structure, brush stand-up, controlled flavour release, and compatibility with fluoride-containing systems.
VEEGUM D
DOCUMENTATION TO BE HELD
Documentation that supports your submission, not just your specification.
Vanderbilt grades are supplied with sales specification sheets, safety data, and the compendial and certification documentation needed for cosmetic product safety reports, product information files, and organic certification submissions.
This principal supplies into both segments, so both documentation sets apply. Which set is required depends on the grade being purchased and the dosage form or product type it is going into.
Technical and quality
- Technical Data Sheet (TDS)
- Product specification sheet with agreed release limits
- Certificate of Analysis (CoA), batch specific
- Safety Data Sheet (SDS / MSDS) in the language of the destination market
- Stability data and formulation compatibility guidance
- Recommended use levels, incorporation and processing instructions
- Physical characterisation data: appearance, pH, viscosity, particle size where relevant
Composition and safety
- Full INCI declaration with composition breakdown and percentage ranges
- Toxicological summary and safety data suitable for the CPSR safety assessment
- Allergen declaration covering the EU listed fragrance allergens
- Heavy metals and trace impurity statement
- Nanomaterial status statement
- Microbiological specification, and preservative efficacy data where applicable
- 1,4-dioxane, nitrosamine and other process impurity statements where the chemistry requires it
Efficacy and claim support
- In vitro study reports
- Ex vivo and in vivo study reports for actives
- Claim substantiation package mapped to the claims the brand intends to make
- Mechanism of action summary
- Marketing concept and formulation starter material
Certification and origin
- COSMOS and Ecocert certificates for certified grades
- NATRUE certificate where held
- Vegan declaration
- Halal certificate
- Kosher certificate where required by the market
- RSPO certification for palm-derived material
- ISO 16128 natural origin index calculation
- Country of origin declaration
- GMO-free statement
- BSE / TSE-free declaration
Regulatory and market access
- ISO 22716 cosmetic GMP certificate for the manufacturing site
- REACH registration status statement
- China compliance and IECIC listing statement
- Compliance statement against the restricted and prohibited substance annexes of the destination market
- Microplastic-free statement
- Animal testing position statement
- Change notification and supply continuity commitment
WORKING WITH ADCHEM
What ADCHEM adds to the Vanderbilt Minerals relationship.
SPECIFICATION-LED
Grade selection, done properly
Most VEEGUM problems are grade selection problems. We match the grade to your pH, electrolyte load, and hydration equipment before you order a drum of the wrong one.
PROCESS SUPPORT
Dispersion protocol support
Mineral rheology fails at the dispersion step more often than at the formulation step. Our laboratories supply and validate the preparation protocol alongside the material.
COSMOS-COMPATIBLE
Natural chassis development
Clay and gum systems designed as a complete certified natural chassis, tested in our labs against your target sensory profile.
AUTO-ATTACHED VIA COSMO
Full documentation with every sample
TDS, SDS, CoA, INCI statement and applicable certificates dispatched with the sample as standard, via COSMO, our digital platform.
On this page
Quick facts
HEADQUARTERS
Norwalk, Connecticut, USA
FOUNDED
1916, as R.T. Vanderbilt Company
PARENT
R.T. Vanderbilt Holding Company, Inc.
SEGMENT
Natural rheology control, emulsion and suspension stabilisation
MANUFACTURING
Company-owned mining and processing operations across multiple US states
COMPENDIAL STATUS
Grades compliant with USP/NF monographs for magnesium aluminum silicate and xanthan gum
CERTIFICATIONS
OMRI listed, Ecocert Greenlife authorised, COSMOS compliant and NATRUE approved grades
Natural rheology that behaves the same way every batch.
Three ways to start: a sample, a specification sheet, or a conversation with a specialist who will ask how you disperse before recommending a grade.
Request a Sample
Any product in the portfolio
Download a TDS
Full technical library
Talk to Our Specialist
Someone who knows the chemistry first
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Elementis (incl. Alchemy Ingredients)
Seppic
Vanderbilt Minerals