The potassium salt of carbomer, used as a thickener and emulsion stabiliser.
What it is
Potassium carbomer is, according to CosIng, the potassium salt of carbomer, a crosslinked polymer of acrylic acid. CosIng lists it as an emulsion-stabilising, film-forming and viscosity-controlling ingredient.
Where it is used
Appears on the ingredient lists of a small number of gels and emulsions.
Limits of interpretation
The INCI list shows which ingredients are present, not how much of each. Above 1%, ingredients are listed in descending order of weight; below 1% the order is free.
Functions
- Emulsion stabilising
- Helping the process of emulsification and improving emulsion stability and shelf-life.
- Film forming
- Producing (upon application) a continuous film on the skin, hair or nails.
- Viscosity controlling
- Increasing or decreasing the viscosity (thickness) of cosmetics.
EU regulation
This ingredient is not listed in the annexes of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 in the CosIng data.