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
- 195
- of researched products
- 5%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #14
- most common in
- Shampoo
- in water
- Water-dispersible
At a glance
Four named levels, read from this ingredient’s chemical class, its charge, its solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have. More dots means more of the property named — never “better”.
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.
Texture in the hand — it says nothing about what reaches the hair.
Charge
Negatively charged, like the hair surface itself — so it is repelled rather than attracted, rinses away cleanly, and is the charge most detergents carry.
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
83 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: gel
45 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Styler: curl cream
9 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Heat protectant
8 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Leave-in
8 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Co-wash
7 products
|
secondary · #48 | |
Styler: paste
7 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: mousse
6 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: volumizer
6 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Finisher: serum
5 products
|
secondary · #9 |
8 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Scalp treatment
3 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
2 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Conditioner
1 product
|
secondary · #26 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
leading · #3 | |
Finisher: oil
1 product
|
secondary · #15 | |
Mask / treatment
1 product
|
secondary · #32 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: texture spray
1 product
|
secondary · #11 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 83 | 10% | 14 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 45 | 29% | 7 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: curl cream | 9 | 9% | 9 | 3 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 8 | 6% | 8 | 7 | supporting |
| Leave-in | 8 | 2% | 17 | 9 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 7 | 7% | 48 | 38 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 7 | 8% | 19 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 6 | 4% | 10 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 6 | 9% | 11 | 6 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 5 | 6% | 9 | 8 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 3 | 2% | 7 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 2 | 4% | 14 | 12 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 1 | 0% | 26 | 26 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 4% | 3 | 3 | leading |
| Finisher: oil | 1 | 1% | 15 | 15 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 1 | 0% | 32 | 32 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 8% | 8 | 8 | supporting |
| Styler: texture spray | 1 | 2% | 11 | 11 | secondary |
No product-type differences have been researched yet — the reading below is computed 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 | 13 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 54 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 90 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 56 |
| 26+ | Trace | 20 |
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
Conditional formulation guidance, scoped to a hair condition and to the positions where it is meaningful. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, and not a conclusion 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 this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- 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 by itself — that is the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle — label position never converts into a number
- a secondary polymer, listed below the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, 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
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Sodium Chloride · 84
- Benzyl Alcohol · 77
- Glycol Distearate · 72
- Sodium Hydroxide · 70
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 68
- Disodium EDTA · 62
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 55
- Citronellol · 55
- Propylene Glycol · 52
- Aminomethyl Propanol · 51
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, carry the formula and let it dry, and soften the strand.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Eco Style · Styler
Olive Oil Gel - 32.0 oz
#2 on the label · $0.31/oz
Eco Style · Styler
Rosemary Mint Gel
#2 on the label · $0.34/oz
ECO STYLE · Styler
Olive Oil Styling Gel
#2 on the label · $0.31/oz
ORS · Scalp treatment
ORS HAIRestore Hair Fertilizer
#2 on the label · $2.00/oz
Aunt Jackie's · Styler
Curl Boss Coconut Curling Gelée
#3 on the label · $0.73/oz
Aunt Jackie's · Styler
Flaxseed Don't Shrink Curling Gel
#3 on the label · $0.47/oz
Eco Style · Styler
Super Protein Styling Gel
#3 on the label · $0.31/oz
Equate · Shampoo
Equate Beauty Moisture Rich Shampoo with Vitamin E
#3 on the label · $0.10/oz
Garnier Fructis · Finisher
Sleek & Shine Frizz Tamer Slick Back Hair Serum Wand
#3 on the label · $32.56/oz
Mielle Organics · Styler
Pomegranate & Honey Maximum Hold Gel Styler
#3 on the label · $0.62/oz
Miss Jessie's · Styler
Jelly Soft Curls - Curl Jelly
#3 on the label · $1.88/oz
ORS · Styler
ORS Olive Oil Girls Healthy Style Hair Pudding
#3 on the label · $0.54/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 4th 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 is read 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 — 195 of 3889 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are named levels read from an ingredient’s chemical class, charge, solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have — never a score.
- 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; where none is, the row is simply absent rather than filled in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-08-28. Product-page methodology: the product library.