Peg-Crosspolymer ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily a texture and viscosity modifier, helping water-based formulas thicken, gel, bind, and form a flexible film on skin or hair.
What does Peg-Crosspolymer do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily a texture and viscosity modifier, helping water-based formulas thicken, gel, bind, and form a flexible film on skin or hair.
Is Peg-Crosspolymer clean?
This material has clean-standard friction because it is a synthetic ethoxylated polymer, with potential manufacturing-residue concerns such as ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane if purification is not tightly controlled. It is not a common sensitizer, and its large molecular size limits skin penetration.
Is Peg-Crosspolymer sustainable?
This material is typically petroleum-derived and is not considered readily biodegradable. As a crosslinked synthetic polymer, it raises persistence concerns in rinse-off systems and wastewater pathways.
Is Peg-Crosspolymer COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because synthetic ethoxylated polymers are outside the standard’s allowed chemistry. From a Green Chemistry view, it scores poorly on renewable sourcing and end-of-life biodegradability, even though it can deliver texture benefits at low use levels.
How does Peg-Crosspolymer work chemically?
The molecule is a high-molecular-weight, crosslinked polyether network that swells in water and increases viscosity through hydration and polymer entanglement. It is generally stable across common cosmetic pH ranges and is used at low levels as a rheology modifier, binder, film-former, or suspension aid depending on the formula.
Last updated 2026-08-17