Cosmetic ingredient dictionary
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose in cosmetics: what it is and what it does
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose is a cosmetic ingredient that lets oil and water mix, so the product can wash dirt away. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 164 products, most often toothpastes.
By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 2 sourcesHow we check
What does Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose do in a product?
In a cosmetic product, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose lets oil and water mix, so the product can wash dirt away, makes the product thicker or thinner, and leaves a thin film on skin, hair or nails. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: surfactant, viscosity controlling, film forming, antistatic, binding and emulsion stabilising.
What other names and numbers does Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose have?
- CAS number
- 9004-65-3
- CosIng reference
- 34537
Which products contain Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose?
Open Beauty Facts finds Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose in the ingredient lists of 164 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often toothpastes, bath and shower and shower gels.
Products with it, by country of sale: United States 32 · France 28 · Australia 20 · Germany 14.
Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose turns up, not how much of the market it is.
Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors
Sources
The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.
- European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
- Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check
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