Carbomer
Carbomer · carbomer homopolymer · carboxypolymethyleneCarbomer is a thickener and binder permitted in the EU only in food supplements, in solid and liquid form. It swells in water into a clear gel, which is why the same polymer is common in hand gels and cosmetics.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Canada | No listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here. | ||
| European Union | Permitted, with conditions | 2 food categories highest permitted level 200 mg/kg Show every food category
| Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008and 1 further provisionretrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. | ||
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| European Union | 30 mg/kg – 200 mg/kg | 2 numeric limit |
|---|
What it is made from
Made by polymerising acrylic acid and cross-linking the chains, which lets the polymer absorb water without dissolving.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
Every name it appears under
3 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
As it appears in regulation
- Carbomer
- carbomer homopolymer
- carboxypolymethylene
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is Carbomer?
- Carbomer is a thickener and binder permitted in the EU only in food supplements, in solid and liquid form. It swells in water into a clear gel, which is why the same polymer is common in hand gels and cosmetics.
- Where is Carbomer permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, the EU permits it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Carbomer vegan?
- Yes. Carbomer is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- eu retrieved 2026-10-18
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.
Follow changes to Carbomer:Atom feed — regulatory events, and any change the weekly refresh detects in its provisions.