FILM FORMER
Carbomer
- film former
A thickener that turns a liquid into a clear gel. It also contributes a light hold.
- products in our library
- 417
- of researched products
- 6%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #13
- most common in
- Shampoo
- in water
- Water-dispersible
At a glance
Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
What the polymer class can do, not what any bottle claims.
How well the film survives damp air, as a class.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 2 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with shampoo | 4 of 5 |
| Hold | Firmest | 5 of 5 |
| Humidity resistance | Holds up | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Carbomer does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
A long-chain molecule that stays behind as the product dries.
The film is what holds a shape once the water has gone.
How firmly depends on the polymer class and how much of it is used.
Changes the texture in your hand. It says nothing about what reaches your hair.
Charge
Negatively charged, like the hair surface itself, so hair pushes it away instead of holding on to it. It rinses off easily, and most detergents carry this charge.
Solubility
Spreads through water without truly dissolving, and normal shampooing removes it.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Shampoo
173 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: gel
98 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Styler: curl cream
28 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: paste
16 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Leave-in
14 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Scalp treatment
11 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: volumizer
10 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Heat protectant
9 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Finisher: serum
8 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Co-wash
7 products
|
secondary · #48 |
12 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Conditioner
6 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: mousse
6 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
6 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Mask / treatment
5 products
|
secondary · #30 | |
Styler: hairspray
5 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: lotion
4 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
3 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Finisher: oil
3 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Styler: edge control
2 products
|
secondary · #23 | |
Dry shampoo
1 product
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: refresh spray
1 product
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: texture spray
1 product
|
secondary · #11 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 173 | 11% | 13 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 98 | 37% | 7 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: curl cream | 28 | 12% | 14 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 16 | 8% | 15 | 4 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 14 | 2% | 16 | 7 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 11 | 4% | 9 | 2 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 10 | 7% | 11 | 6 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 9 | 4% | 8 | 7 | supporting |
| Finisher: serum | 8 | 6% | 9 | 6 | supporting |
| Co-wash | 7 | 7% | 48 | 38 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 6 | 1% | 17 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 6 | 3% | 9 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 6 | 7% | 12 | 7 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 5 | 1% | 30 | 11 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 5 | 2% | 8 | 7 | supporting |
| Styler: lotion | 4 | 11% | 9 | 5 | supporting |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 3 | 9% | 18 | 3 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 3 | 1% | 15 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 2 | 5% | 23 | 7 | secondary |
| Dry shampoo | 1 | 1% | 20 | 20 | secondary |
| Styler: refresh spray | 1 | 3% | 12 | 12 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 1 | 1% | 11 | 11 | secondary |
We have not researched differences by product type yet. The reading below comes from where it sits on the labels in our library.
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 28 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 114 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 151 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 95 |
| 26+ | Trace | 29 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Who should pay attention
Formulation guidance for specific hair conditions, limited to the label positions where it applies. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, or about you.
A set polymer film is a physical barrier to humidity, so a style keeps its shape longer in damp conditions.
Synthetic film formers dry into a continuous film, which is what holds a shape against movement and against humid air.
Some acrylate copolymers rinse with water and some need a detergent; the label alone does not say which one a formula used.
It sets firm on its own. Whether the curl stays flexible depends on the plasticisers and oils the rest of the formula carries.
Read from this ingredient’s chemical class. Where we have researched the ingredient itself, that reading replaces the class one.
Why it matters to shoppers
What seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- hold that survives humidity
- a style that holds
- a thicker, easier-to-spread formula
- a product ordinary shampooing removes
- an exact safety score (we do not publish one for any ingredient)
- how a finished product performs, which depends on the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle, because label position never converts into a number
- a secondary polymer, listed below the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- a stiff, crunchy result on its own
- anything about what the product does on hair
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Commonly paired with
The ingredients that most often appear alongside this one in our library. We leave out the near-universal ones, because they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Sodium Chloride · 176
- Sodium Hydroxide · 143
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 135
- Benzyl Alcohol · 133
- Glycol Distearate · 132
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 132
- Propylene Glycol · 124
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 116
- Disodium EDTA · 112
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 103
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to keep the formula stable, clean and build foam, and carry the formula and let it dry.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Cantu · Styler
Avocado Hydrating Styling Gel
#2 on the label · $0.30/oz
Design Essentials · Styler
Contours Protein Styling Gel
#2 on the label · $0.94/oz
Eco Style · Styler
Argan Oil Styling Gel
#2 on the label · $1.19/oz
Eco Style · Styler
Black Castor & Flaxseed Oil Styling Gel
#2 on the label · $0.31/oz
Eco Style · Styler
Olive Oil Styling Gel
#2 on the label · $0.31/oz
Eco Style · Styler
Rosemary Mint Gel
#2 on the label · $0.37/oz
Luster's Pink · Styler
PINK ® HOLD & SHINE PERFECTING GEL
#2 on the label · $0.58/oz
ORS · Scalp treatment
HAIRestore Hair Fertilizer
#2 on the label · $2.00/oz
Suavecito · Styler
Firme Hold Styling Gel
#2 on the label · $1.37/oz
Taliah Waajid · Styler
Honey Sculpt & Style Gel
#2 on the label · $1.18/oz
Taliah Waajid · Styler
Lock It Up for Natural Hair
#2 on the label · $0.84/oz
Taliah Waajid · Styler
Tight Hold Loc It Up for Natural Hair
#2 on the label · $0.88/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Carbomer
- thickener
- polymer
- carbomer
- carbomer 940
For your hair?
Whether Carbomer matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 5th most-listed film former or thickener in our libraryWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above comes from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references. The consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Seed entry, sourcing in progress Written from our reference work; primary sourcing is still being attached.
No published source is attached to this entry yet.
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 417 of 6816 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one comes from what kind of ingredient it is (its chemical class, charge and solubility) or from where it sits on the labels we have.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry. Without one, we leave the row out rather than fill it in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-09-22. Product-page methodology: the product library.
