Abstract: Disclosed herein are liquid personal care cleansing compositions comprising a carrier (e.g., aqueous), a detergent surfactant for personal cleansing (i.e., hair, skin, or nails), and a thickening system that may include components that are naturally-derived and naturally-processed. The thickening system includes a gum, a lactate, and a lactylate, and is substantially free of synthetic amides such as ethanolamines. The lactate and lactylate have surprisingly been found to break the gelatinous, gooey blob characteristics that result when thickening with a natural gum alone, resulting in a homogenous smooth consistency to the personal care composition thickened with the thickener system.