Methyl cellulose (inci)

Methyl cellulose, a methyl ether of cellulose, is a synthetically produced substance derived from cellulose. Methyl cellulose is a hydrophilic white powder. It dissolves in cold (but not hot) water to form a viscous solution or gel. Methyl cellulose is used as a thickener and emulsifier in various food and cosmetic products.

Methyl cellulose is a compound with a wide range of applications.

Cosmetics: Methyl cellulose is used in cosmetic formulations and acts as a binder, emulsion stabilizer, coating agent, stabilizer. The substance is often used as a viscosity regulator in hair shampoos, toothpastes and liquid soaps to create their characteristic, strong consistency

Food: In food technology, the various forms of methyl celluloses under the number E 461 are used as gelling, thickening and coating agents, emulsifiers and stabilizers (e.g. in ice cream, bakery products, cake creams, mayonnaise).

Medicine: Methyl cellulose is not absorbed in the intestines. It has a laxative effect through its enormous ability to absorb water.

Cellulose is a chain molecule consisting of numerous linked glucose molecules, each of which has three hydroxyl groups. Depending on the number of hydroxyl groups replaced, different forms of methyl cellulose are formed. Mixed cellulose ethers (e.g. hydroxypropylmethylcellulose), which additionally contain 2-hydroxyethyl, 2-hydroxypropyl or 2-hydroxybutyl groups, are also called methylcellulose. The solubility of methyl cellulose in cold water decreases with a higher degree of methylation, since the polar hydroxyl groups are increasingly replaced by non-polar ether groups.