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Carbomer

Carbomer

Well toleratedThickenerthickenergelling agentstabiliser

No meaningful concern for most people; irritation is possible but rare.

Also written as: Carbopol · Polyacrylic Acid · Carboxyvinyl Polymer

What it is

Carbomer is a family of cross-linked polyacrylic acid polymers supplied as a fine acidic powder. Dispersed in water and then neutralised with sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, tromethamine or arginine, it swells into the transparent gel used in the majority of gel masks and serums.

What it does well

  • Creates clear, stable gels at very low use levels

    A very small amount builds a gel that suspends oils and actives and holds texture over shelf life, without adding any oily feel. The packs show it: of the thirty-eight masks here whose list reaches the point where ingredient order stops indicating quantity, every one prints Carbomer below that point.

    Strong evidence

Worth knowing

  • Can pill under makeup or with other polymers

    Carbomer gels sometimes ball up when layered. Skin irritation is uncommon; the residual acrylic acid monomer content of cosmetic grades is controlled by the manufacturer to trace levels.

    Matters most toPeople who layer several gel-textured products.

Where the EU stands

No specific restriction

Not restricted for cosmetic use in the EU; it appears in no Annex of the Cosmetics Regulation.

Sources (2)

Every link goes to the original: a journal, a PubMed record or an EU document.

  1. [1]
    Rheological characterization of topical carbomer gels neutralized to different pH

    Pharmaceutical Research · 2004 · doi:10.1023/b:pham.0000033006.11619.07

    Describes how carbomer gels are actually made: the cross-linked polymer is dissolved in a water and co-solvent system and the carboxylic groups are then neutralised with a base - triethanolamine here - to give the gel. The authors report the gels behave much the same anywhere between pH 5.0 and 8.0.

  2. [2]
    Formulation and rheological evaluation of ethosome-loaded carbopol hydrogel for transdermal application

    Drug Development and Industrial Pharmacy · 2016 · doi:10.3109/03639045.2015.1132227

    Prepares five grades of carbomer hydrogel the same way - disperse the polymer in water, then neutralise with sodium hydroxide - which is the second base a reader is likely to see printed near Carbomer on a mask.

Masks that contain Carbomer