Sodium carboxymethylcellulose

INS 466CAS 9004-32-4

Used as an emulsifier — Codex also lists it as bulking agent, firming, agent, gelling agent, glazing agent, humectant, stabilizer, thickener.

Carboxymethylcellulose, often labelled cellulose gum, is a thickener used in ice cream, sauces, drinks and gluten-free baking. It is among the most common thickeners in processed food.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Sodium carboxymethylcellulose by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 182.1745retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFAPermitted, with conditions

23 food categories

no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice)

Show every food category
  • 01.1.2 Other Fluid Milk (plain) — GMP
  • 01.2.1.1 Fermented milks (plain), not heat-treated after fermentation — GMP
  • 01.2.1.2 Fermented milks (plain), heat-treated after fermentation — GMP
  • 01.2.2 Renneted milk (plain) — GMP
  • 01.4.1 Pasteurized cream (plain) — GMP
  • 01.4.2 Sterilized and UHT creams, whipping and whipped creams, and reduced fat creams (plain) — GMP
  • 06.4.1 Fresh pastas and noodles and like products — GMP
  • 06.4.2 Dried pastas and noodles and like products — GMP
  • 08.1.1 Fresh meat, poultry and game, whole pieces or cuts — GMP
  • 08.1.2 Fresh meat, poultry and game, comminuted — GMP
  • 09.2.1 Frozen fish, fish fillets, and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — GMP
  • 09.2.2 Frozen battered fish, fish fillets and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — GMP
  • 09.2.3 Frozen minced and creamed fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — GMP
  • 09.2.4.1 Cooked fish and fish products — GMP
  • 09.2.4.2 Cooked molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — GMP
  • 09.2.4.3 Fried fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — GMP
  • 09.2.5 Smoked, dried, fermented, and/or salted fish and fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms — GMP
  • 10.2.1 Liquid egg products — GMP
  • 10.2.2 Frozen egg products — GMP
  • 11.4 Other sugars and syrups (e.g. xylose, maple syrup, sugar toppings) — GMP
  • 12.1.2 Salt substitutes — GMP
  • 14.1.5 Coffee, coffee substitutes, tea, herbal infusions, and other hot cereal and grain beverages, excluding cocoa — GMP
  • 14.2.3 Grape wines — GMP
CXS 192-1995 Table Three, INS 466and 23 further provisionsretrieved 2026-09-07

What it is made from

Made by treating purified cellulose with sodium hydroxide and chloroacetic acid, which attaches carboxymethyl groups and makes the fibre water-soluble. The cellulose is from wood pulp or cotton.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
CAS registry number
9004-32-4
InChIKey
DPXJVFZANSGRMM-UHFFFAOYSA-N
PubChem
CID 6328154

Every name it appears under

64 recorded names. A label may use any of them.

INS number

  • 466

CAS registry number

  • 9004-32-4

As it appears in regulation

  • Sodium carboxymethylcellulose

Other names

  • Blanose BS 190
  • Blanose BWM
  • Carbose 1M
  • Carboxymethylcellulose sodium
  • Carboxymethylcellulose sodium salt
  • Carmellose sodium
  • Carmethose
  • Cellofas
  • Cellofas B
  • Cellofas B5
  • Cellofas B50
  • Cellofas B6
  • Cellofas C
  • Cellogel C
  • Cellogen 3H
  • Cellogen PR
  • Cellpro
  • Cellufix FF 100
  • Cellufresh
  • Cellugel
  • Celluvisc
  • CMC sodium salt
  • Collowel
  • Copagel PB 25
  • Courlose A 590
  • Courlose A 610
  • Courlose A 650
  • Courlose F 20
  • Courlose F 370
  • Courlose F 4
  • Courlose F 8
  • Ethoxose
  • Glikocel TA
  • Lovosa
  • Lovosa TN
  • Majol PLX
  • Modocoll 1200
  • Nymcel S
  • Nymcel ZSB 10
  • Nymcel ZSB 16
  • Sanlose SN 20A
  • Sarcell tel
  • SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE
  • SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYL CELLULOSE (CELLULOSE GUM)
  • Sodium cellulose glycolate
  • Sodium CMC
  • Tylose 666
  • Tylose C
  • Tylose C 30
  • Tylose C 300
  • Tylose CB 200
  • Tylose CB series
  • Tylose CBR 400
  • Tylose CBR series
  • Tylose CBS 30
  • Tylose CBS 70
  • Tylose CR
  • Tylose CR 50
  • Tylose DKL
  • Unisol RH

Systematic names

  • acetic acid;2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyhexanal;sodium

Hazard reference values

Values set by assessing bodies. A body that has not set a value is not listed here.
TypeValuePopulationAssessed byOpinion
ADI1infantsEFSA FAF2022
ADI1toddlersEFSA FAF2022

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07
  • gsfa retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/sodium-carboxymethylcellulose.json