Polybutylene Terephthalate ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used as a film-former, texture modifier, and plastic glitter or effect-pigment base in color cosmetics and personal care products. It can add slip, structure, opacity, or sparkle depending on particle size and coating system.
What does Polybutylene Terephthalate do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used as a film-former, texture modifier, and plastic glitter or effect-pigment base in color cosmetics and personal care products. It can add slip, structure, opacity, or sparkle depending on particle size and coating system.
Is Polybutylene Terephthalate clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it has low expected skin irritation but significant clean-standard friction because it is a synthetic plastic polymer. Many frameworks scrutinize it under microplastic and non-biodegradable polymer policies.
Is Polybutylene Terephthalate sustainable?
This material is typically petroleum-derived and is not readily biodegradable in normal environmental conditions. Its main sustainability concern is persistence, especially when used as rinse-off or particulate decorative material.
Is Polybutylene Terephthalate COSMOS-approved?
It is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because it is a synthetic petrochemical polymer with poor biodegradability. It also scores weakly against Green Chemistry preferences for renewable feedstocks, environmental breakdown, and circular material design.
How does Polybutylene Terephthalate work chemically?
The molecule is a high-molecular-weight thermoplastic aromatic polyester built from repeating aromatic diacid and C4 diol units, making it insoluble in water and stable across typical cosmetic pH ranges. It has a melting point around 220 to 225°C, good oxidative stability in finished formulas, and is usually incorporated as a solid particle or film-forming phase rather than as a dissolved active.
Last updated 2026-05-14