Is carbomer a safe ingredient?

What's Carbomer?

Carbomer is a very important type of synthetic polymer, mainly composed of Acrylic Acid. In the dry state, it is a loose white powder. When dispersed in water, the molecular chains will stretch and absorb a large amount of water, causing the polymer particles to swell significantly, forming a gel or sol with a certain viscosity.

Carbomer carries a large number of free carboxylic (-COOH) groups. After neutralization, the carboxylic group becomes a carboxylate salt, and the same charge repulses each other. At this time, the repulsion is the greatest, the swelling is the most complete, and the viscosity reaches the highest.

What are the types of Carbomer ?

Carbomer has formed different models according to the type and dosage of its crosslinking agent, molecular weight, crosslinking density and specific modifications. The following are the corresponding applications of different models.Xi'an Tongze Biotechnology all supply different models of Carbomer.

Style	Characteristics	Application
Carbomer 940	High viscosity, forming a very clear, shiny, tough gel. The pseudoplasticity is excellent (significant shear thinning). Poor electrolyte resistance.	Clear gels (such as aloe vera gel, hair gel, gel), leave-to-wash products, gels that require high gloss.
Carbomer 980	Medium viscosity, forming a clear and well-flowable gel/emulsion. Good false plasticity, good suspension, and smoother touch. Electrolyte resistance is better than 940 but is still limited.	Lotion, cream, gentle gel, liquid soap, shower gel, products that require good spreadability.
Carbomer 2984/5984	Polyacrylic polymers, similar to 940/980, but with different production processes (maybe different solvents are used). Performance is close to 940/980.	It can be replaced by 940/980 and is widely used in cosmetics and medicines.
Carbomer 1342	Hydrophobically modified carbomer (introduced long-chain alkyl groups on the polymer chain). Significantly improve electrolyte resistance, surfactant compatibility, and thickening efficiency.	Formulas containing electrolytes (such as salt-containing antiperspirants), systems containing surfactants (such as facial cleansers, shampoos, shower gels), lotions.
Carbomer ETD 2020/2050	Designed specifically for electrolyte resistance. It can still maintain high viscosity in salt-containing systems.	Electrolyte-containing products with salt-containing ointments and toothpastes and formulas that require high electrolyte tolerance.
Carbomer Ultrez series	Usually represents easy-dispersed carbomer. The particles are specially treated and can be dispersed in the water phase faster, reducing the risk of clumping.	It is necessary to simplify the formulation of the dispersion process and improve production efficiency.

Conclusion:Rank from a viscosity perspective 940 > 980 > 1342 (but 1342 is more efficient in a particular system).

From the perspective of transparency, these four style 940/980/2984/5984 are usually very transparent.

What are Benefits of Carbomer Powder?

1. Bioinergic and low absorption

Carbomer is a polymer with a huge molecular weight (millions of Daltons), unable to penetrate the intact skin or the mucous membrane is absorbed into the blood circulation, and it mainly plays a local role.

If you take a product containing carbomer orally, it will not be absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract after ingestion and will be basically excreted from the body as a prototype.

2. Low irritation

When carbomer neutralizes, gels with pH 6-9 usually have extremely low skin and mucosal irritation, and are suitable for delicate areas such as sensitive skin and eyes. They are often added to ophthalmic gels and eye drops. At the same time, they have been used for a long time in clinical studies and have confirmed their gentleness.

3. Regulatory accreditation

In the field of medicine, it is included in the pharmacopoeia of various countries (such as USP/NF, EP, ChP) and has strict quality standards as pharmaceutical excipients.

In the field of cosmetics, it is allowed to be used by major cosmetic regulations around the world (such as EU EC 1223/2009, China's "Cosmetic Safety Technical Specifications", the US FDA, and stipulates safety concentration limits.

Therefore, it is widely added in medicines - topical gels/cream, eye drops, etc. And it is also widely added to cosmetic raw materials, including moisturizing types aloe vera gel, moisturizing gel, sleeping mask, and shower gel/shampoo, which can be fully cleaned.

4. No sensitization and compatibility

Carbomer itself is not a common allergen, and allergic reaction reports are extremely rare. Cosmetics with carbomer are suitable for most people, and you can also use them with confidence if you are allergic to them.

It can have good compatibility with most commonly used active ingredients, preservatives, and solvents, and is not prone to harmful by-products.

What is Side effect of Carbomer

1.Common side effects

Common local irritations include burning sensation, tingling, itching, and erythema, especially the face and around the eyes. If you add Carbomer powder when using a DIY mask, the pH value will not be adjusted, and the sting will immediately cause a sting after applying it to the face. Because the under-neutralized carbomer solution has a strong acidic pH of ≈2.5-3.5, direct contact with the skin/mucosa leads to chemical irritation.

2.Dry/tight feeling

If the skin loses and drys after cleansing. It may be that you use it in conjunction with soap or soap when using Carbomer of facial cleansing products, which will over-adsorb sebum.

Based on the above benefits and side effects, the following summary:

1. It is safe under standardized use: When using high-purity raw materials, strict control of acrylic residues is required. Carbomer is a safe and effective versatile polymer with a long-term clinical and market safety record when properly neutralizing and adding effective preservatives to the formulation and in the appropriate scenarios and concentrations.

2. The potential risks mainly come from improper use: Unneutralized acid stimulation and excess acrylic monomer residues, microbial contamination caused by failure of anticorrosion, or improper compatibility to produce precipitation, etc. are the main risk points.

Therefore, carbomer itself is not a hazardous substance, and its safety depends highly on the control of raw material quality and formulation process. At the same time, we must stick to the standardized use of it.

Reference

1."Carbomer-Containing Topical Gel for Dermatological Use" Lubrizol Advanced Materials (2000).

2.International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research (2016), 7(10), 3923-3936. "Carbopol: A Versatile Polymer for Pharmaceutical Applications"

3.Carbopol Polymers in Controlled Drug Delivery" 《Polymers for Drug Delivery Systems》

4."Carbopol-Based Hydrogels for Ophthalmic Drug Delivery" International Journal of Biological Macromolecules (2020), 155, 137-150