Is the carbomer in cosmetics gentle on the skin?

What is Carbomer?

From makeup to skincare and haircare.

Carbomer is such a popular ingredient that you'd think it would be in most cosmetics. Its official name is "carboxyvinyl polymer." It is listed under this name in quasi-drugs and medicated cosmetics.

Purpose of adding carbomer

Carbomer has an excellent thickening effect. In other words, it is good at creating viscosity. Therefore, it is used in cosmetics to turn watery substances into gels or creams.

It also has good compatibility with other ingredients. In addition, it is an ingredient that does not easily deteriorate over time and changes little due to temperature. Therefore, in addition to being a thickening agent, it is also used as an emulsifier and stabilizer.

However, it does not have any moisturizing or other skin-beautifying effects. In other words, the main purpose of its inclusion in many cosmetics is to improve the feel of the product when used.

Is it good for your skin?

Carbomer expands 1000 times when mixed with water, allowing it to absorb and retain water, creating cosmetics with a rich, smooth and creamy finish.

However, carbomer itself does not have any effect on improving skin conditions. It is an ingredient that thickens ingredients and prevents them from separating, and does not act directly on the skin.

In other words, it does not have any adverse effects on the skin. Therefore, carbomer is generally considered to be very safe for the skin. It is even evaluated as having no skin irritation or skin sensitization , even at a concentration of 100%.

In other words, it doesn't make your skin beautiful, but it's not bad for your skin either.

Environmental impact

We now know that it has no adverse effects on the skin, but is it an ingredient that is kind to the natural environment?

Some people say that carbomer is highly biodegradable and has little impact such as accumulating in the environment.
On the other hand, information released by carbomer manufacturers indicates that it is not biodegradable. It is said that it is removed during wastewater treatment, but this is not known in reality.

The European Chemicals Agency includes Carbomer on its list of microplastics , and a European-based environmental group defines Carbomer as a liquid microplastic .

Since it is a genuine synthetic ingredient, it is generally not included in proper organic or natural cosmetics.

However, the fact that it is safe for the skin is also an attractive feature for cosmetics, and so there is no sign of a decline in the use of carbomer, at least in Japan.