Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Methylcellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose and Cellulose Gum are white to off-white powders with no odor or taste. These cellulose ether ingredients are widely used in cosmetics and personal care products including hair products, eye and facial makeup, and skin care products.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed the safety of Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Methylcellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose and Cellulose Gum and approved their use as indirect food additives. Additionally, Hydroxypropylcellulose and Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose are approved for use as multipurpose additives for direct addition to food, and Methylcellulose and Cellulose Gum are multipurpose food substances that are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS).
The safety of Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Methylcellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, and Cellulose Gum has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel evaluated the scientific data and concluded that Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Methylcellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose and Cellulose Gum were safe as cosmetic ingredients. In 2006, as part of the scheduled re-review of ingredients, the CIR Expert Panel considered available new data on these ingredients and reaffirmed the above conclusion.CIR Safety Review: The CIR Expert Panel noted that in addition to the use of these ingredients in cosmetics and personal care products, they were widely used in food, pharmaceuticals and industrial products. Large doses of Methylcellulose and Cellulose Gum administered orally as laxatives produced no toxic effects in humans.
The cellulose derivatives pass essentially unchanged through the gastrointestinal tract following oral administration. They are practically nontoxic when administered by inhalation or by oral, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, or dermal routes. Subchronic and chronic oral studies indicated that the cellulose derivatives were nontoxic. No significant developmental or reproductive effects were demonstrated. Ocular and dermal irritation studies showed that the cellulose derivatives were minimally irritating to the eyes and nonirritating to slightly irritating to the skin when tested at concentrations up to 100%. No mutagenic activity of these ingredients was demonstrated. The cellulose derivatives at concentrations up to 100% were nonirritating to mildly irritating, nonsensitizing, and nonphotosensitizing when evaluated in clinical studies.
Link to the FDA Code of Federal Regulations for Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxypropylcellulose listed as Hydroxypropyl cellulose, Methylcellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, and Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose (Cellulose gum)
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRS...
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRS...
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRS...
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRS...
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRS...
Hydroxyethylcellulose, Hydroxypropylcellulose, Methylcellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, and Cellulose Gum may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in the European Union according to the general requirements of the Cosmetics Directive of the European Union.
Link to the EU Cosmetics Directive: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/cosmetics/html/consolidated_d...
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives has established an Acceptable Daily Intake of 0-25 mg/kg body weight for the sum total of modified celluloses: Hydroxypropylcellulose, Methylcellulose, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, and Cellulose Gum. http://www.inchem.org/documents/jecfa/jecmono/v05je54.htm
