HYDROXYPROPYL STARCH PHOSPHATE
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate is a modified starch listed on labels as HYDROXYPROPYL STARCH PHOSPHATE. It starts with a plant glucose polymer and receives chemical changes that include hydroxypropyl and phosphate groups, so it is not simply kitchen starch added to a cosmetic product.
HYDROXYPROPYL STARCH PHOSPHATE: what it is
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate is a modified starch listed on labels as HYDROXYPROPYL STARCH PHOSPHATE. It starts with a plant glucose polymer and receives chemical changes that include hydroxypropyl and phosphate groups, so it is not simply kitchen starch added to a cosmetic product.
Commercial starches can be obtained from potatoes, cereals, or other plant sources. The INCI name does not identify which plant supplied the starch in a particular product, but it does indicate that the raw material was modified to give it physical properties that differ from native starch, especially when it meets water in a formulation.
HYDROXYPROPYL STARCH PHOSPHATE: what it does in cosmetics
In cosmetics, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate is used to control viscosity. In everyday terms, it helps a lotion, gel, or cream keep the intended thickness and flow, rather than feeling too runny or becoming difficult to spread.
It can also add body to a product, meaning more volume and substance in the preparation. The cosmetic safety assessment that includes this ingredient discusses it as a viscosity-increasing material; that physical role does not make the ingredient itself a treatment active for skin or hair.
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
