Ingredient glossary / Texture and thickener
Hydroxyethylcellulose
On the label: Hydroxyethylcellulose · Texture and thickener
What it is
A plant-cellulose thickener that gives clear gels and lotions their body.
Texture and thickeners: Thickeners and film formers give a product its body and feel, from gums to silicones.
Wikidata: Chemical compound. Q1053114 →
In the research
57 PubMed papers mention it with skin, cosmetics or hair; the three most recent:
- Engineered solid lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles for trackable co-delivery of glycoalkaloids and Bcl-2/CD146-targeting of siRNAs: A topical formulation strategy for melanoma · Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 2026
- Multifunctional hybrid lipid-polymeric nanoparticle enabling resveratrol and siRNA co-delivery for enhanced cutaneous wound repair · Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 2026
- Development, Stability, and Clinical Efficacy of an Oil-in-Serum Formulation with Olive Extract Standardized in Hydroxytyrosol for Post-Inflammatory Hyperpigmentation Treatment · AAPS PharmSciTech, 2026
A paper is a paper, not a verdict: titles are listed so you can read them, and a study on cells or mice says little about a cream on a face.
Other texture and thickeners
Dew & Balm describes ingredients from the public record and makes no claim about what a product will do for you. Statements about dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If a product causes a reaction, stop using it; a reaction that spreads or affects breathing is a call to a doctor or 911.