Database/Binding/Carboxymethyl Hydroxypropyl Guar
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Carboxymethyl Hydroxypropyl Guar natural?

Mostly. The polysaccharide backbone comes from guar beans; the hydroxypropyl and carboxymethyl side-groups derive from petrochemical propylene oxide and chloroacetate.

INCI nameCarboxymethyl Hydroxypropyl Guar
CAS68130-15-4
FunctionBinding · Emulsion Stabilising
FeedstockThe backbone is guar gum from guar beans,…

How we scored it

Guar backbone (natural, 162 Da) + hydroxypropyl at assumed MS 0.4 (petrochemical, 23.2 Da) + carboxymethyl at assumed DS 0.15 (petrochemical, 12.0 Da); 162/197.4 = 0.82.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

The backbone is guar gum from guar beans, etherified with petrochemical propylene oxide (hydroxypropyl) and sodium chloroacetate (carboxymethyl). Actual substitution levels vary by supplier grade, so typical mid-range values were assumed.

In plain English

A thickener made from guar bean gum that has been chemically modified with carboxymethyl and hydroxypropyl groups to improve how it dissolves and thickens formulas.

CosIng definition: Guar gum, carboxymethyl 2-hydroxypropyl ether, sodium salt

Natural alternatives with the same function

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2CARBOXYMETHYL HYDROXYPROPYL GUAR. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3CARBOXYMETHYL HYDROXYPROPYL GUAR. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CARBOXYMETHYL%20HYDROXYPROPYL%20GUAR