Hydroxyethyl Cellulose
Ingredient Name: Plant-based Hydroxyethyl Cellulose (HEC)
What is it? Hydroxyethylcellulose is a water-soluble, plant-based amino acid. It's often used in cosmetic formulations for its ability to stabilize and bind with other botanical compounds to enhance delivery. HEC is the most abundant naturally-occurring compound on Earth.*
Nourishing properties:*
- Stabilizes formulation
- Enhances delivery
*= This information has not been approved by the FDA.
References
“Hydroxyethylcellulose.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. PubChem Compound Database, U.S. National Library of Medicine, pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/4327536#section=Top.
Jeffet, Uziel, and Nir Sterer. “Effect of Mucoadhesive Agent HEC on Herbal Extracts Retention and VSC Producing Bacteria Reduction in an Experimental Oral Biofilm.” Journal of Breath Research, 2018, doi:10.1088/1752-7163/aaf6f7
Obara, Sakae, et al. “Skin Sensitization And Photosensitization Studies Of Hydrophobically Modified Hydroxyproryl Methylcellulose In Guinea Pigs.” The Journal of Toxicological Sciences, vol. 23, no. SupplementIII, 1998, pp. 553–560., doi:10.2131/jts.23.supplementiii_553.