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Carbomer

What Carbomer is & what it does

A synthetic thickener used to build gel-like textures and suspend ingredients evenly. It helps control how a sunscreen flows and spreads without adding oiliness.

What is Carbomer and what does it do in sunscreen?

Carbomer is a synthetic thickener and gelling agent. It builds gel-like textures, controls how a sunscreen flows and spreads, and helps suspend other ingredients evenly so they do not separate. It does all this without adding any oiliness to the formula.

Is Carbomer safe?

Yes. It is a well-established cosmetic thickener used in countless gels and lotions and is well tolerated on the skin. It is used in very small amounts and is not flagged as an allergen in our data. For most people it is considered safe as used.

Does Carbomer clog pores?

Generally no. It is a water-loving thickener used in tiny amounts, not a pore-clogging oil or wax, so it is considered non-comedogenic. It is actually a common choice in lightweight, gel-based sunscreens aimed at oily and acne-prone skin.

Is Carbomer natural or synthetic?

It is synthetic, made in a lab rather than extracted from a plant. That is normal for a precision thickener, since it gives consistent, reliable gel textures. Being synthetic does not make it harsh; it is used at low levels and sits inertly in the formula.

What else is Carbomer called on an ingredient list?

On the label it appears simply as Carbomer, its INCI name. It is one of a family of related thickeners, and you may sometimes see close relatives such as Acrylates Copolymer doing a similar gelling job. It usually sits low on the ingredient list because so little is needed.

Sunscreens with Carbomer

We rate 1238 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

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