Xanthan gum commonly used as a food thickening agent (in salad dressings, for example) and a stabilizer (in cosmetic products, it is One of the most remarkable properties of xanthan gum is its ability to produce a large increase in the viscosity of a liquid by adding a very small quantity of gum, on the order of one percent. In most foods, it is used at 0.5%, and can be used in lower concentrations. The viscosity of xanthan gum solutions decreases with higher shear rates.