Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer
25086-89-9 · Copolymer of polyvinylpyrrolidone and vinyl acetate · E 1208 · polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer · E1208 · Acetic acid, ethenyl ester, polymer with 1-ethenyl-2-pyrrolidinone · Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer · Copolimer polivinilpirolidonă-vinil acetat · Copolimero di polivinilpirrolidone vinilacetato · Copolymère d’acétate de vinyle et de polyvinylpyrrolidone · Copolímero de acetato de vinilo · Copolímero de acetato de vinilo-polivinilpirrolidona. · Copolímero de acetato de vinilo/polivinilpirrolidona · Kopolimer polivinilpirolidon-vinil acetata · Kopolimer poliwinylopirolidonu-octanu winylu · Kopolimeru ta’ aċetat ta’ vinil polivinilpirrolidon · Kopolymer polyvinylpyrrolidonu a vinyl-acetátu · Kopolymér N-vinylpyrolidónu a vinyl-acetátu · Poli(vinil-pirrolidon)-vinil-acetát kopolimer · Polivinilpirolidon-vinilacetāta kopolimērs · Polivinilpirolidono–vinilacetato kopolimeras · polivinilpirrolidona · Polyvinylpyrrolidon-vinylacetaatcopolymeer · Polyvinylpyrrolidon-Vinylacetat-Copolymer · Polyvinylpyrrolidon-vinylacetatsampolymer · Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer · Polyvinylpyrrolidonvinylacetat-copolymer · Polyvinyylipyrrolidoni-vinyyliasetaattikopolymeeri · Polüvinüülpürrolidoon-vinüülatsetaatkopolümeer · Συμπολυμερές πολυβινυλοπυρρολιδόνης-οξικού βινυλίου · Съполимер на винилпиролидон и винилацетатE number E1208CAS 25086-89-9
Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer is a binder and film former for solid food supplements, the ingredient that holds a pressed tablet together.
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 | 1 food category highest permitted level 100,000 mg/kg ML = 100000 mg/kg. except food supplements in chewable form. | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II, as amended by (EU) No 2018/1497retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Great Britain | Permitted, with conditions | 1 food category highest permitted level 100,000 mg/kg or mg/l ML = 100000. except food supplements in chewable form. | Assimilated Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex II (as at 28 June 2024)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| 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 | 100,000 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit |
|---|---|---|
| Great Britain | 100,000 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit |
What it is made from
Produced by copolymerising vinylpyrrolidone and vinyl acetate.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- CAS registry number
- 25086-89-9
How the EU defines it
The legal specification an additive must meet to be sold as this E number in the EU — what it is, how it may be made, and the purity it must reach. From Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012.
E 1208 Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer
It is produced by free radical copolymerisation of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and vinyl acetate in solution in propan-2-ol, in the presence of initiators.
Synonyms: Copolyvidon; copovidone; 1-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer; 2-pyrrolidinone, 1-ethenyl-, polymer with ethenyl acetate
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Chemical name
- Acetic acid, ethenyl ester, polymer with 1-ethenyl-2-pyrrolidinone
- Chemical formula
- (C₆H₉NO)ₙ.(C₄H₆O₂)ₘ
- Average Viscosity Molecular Weight
- Between 26 000 and 46 000 g/mol.
- Assay
- Nitrogen content 7,0-8,0 %
- Description
- The physical state is described as a white to yellowish-white powder or flakes with an average particle size of 50-130 μm.
Identification
- Solubility
- Freely soluble in water, ethanol, ethylene chloride and ether.
- Infrared absorption spectroscopy
- To be identified
- European Colour Test (BY Colour)
- Minimum BY5
- K-value (1 % solids in aqueous solution)
- 25,2-30,8
- pH value
- 3,0-7,0 (10 % aqueous solution)
Purity criteria
- Vinylacetate component in copolymer
- Not more than 42,0 %
- Free vinyl acetate
- Not more than 5 mg/kg
- Total ash
- Not more than 0,1 %
- Aldehyde
- Not more than 2 000 mg/kg (as acetaldehyde)
- Free-N-vinylpyrrolidone
- Not more than 5 mg/kg
- Hydrazine
- Not more than 0,8 mg/kg
- Peroxide content
- Not more than 400 mg/kg
- Propan-2-ol
- Not more than 150 mg/kg
- Arsenic
- Not more than 3 mg/kg
- Lead
- Not more than 2 mg/kg
- Mercury
- Not more than 1 mg/kg
- Cadmium
- Not more than 1 mg/kg K-value: dimensionless index, calculated from kinematic viscosity measurements of dilute solutions, used to indicate the likely degree of polymerisation or molecular size of a polymer.
Every name it appears under
31 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E1208
CAS registry number
- 25086-89-9
As it appears in regulation
- Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer
Other names
- Copolymer of polyvinylpyrrolidone and vinyl acetate
- E 1208
- polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer
Systematic names
- Acetic acid, ethenyl ester, polymer with 1-ethenyl-2-pyrrolidinone
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 E 1208?
- E 1208 is Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer. Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer is a binder and film former for solid food supplements, the ingredient that holds a pressed tablet together.
- Where is Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, the EU and Great Britain permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer vegan?
- Yes. Polyvinylpyrrolidone-vinyl acetate copolymer 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
- gb retrieved 2026-10-18
- euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
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