POLOXAMER 407
Poloxamer 407 is a synthetic polymer made of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide blocks. It is neither an oil nor a plant extract: it is a manufactured raw material with sections that interact differently with water and oily substances, a property useful in liquid and semi-solid preparations.
POLOXAMER 407: what it is
Poloxamer 407 is a synthetic polymer made of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide blocks. It is neither an oil nor a plant extract: it is a manufactured raw material with sections that interact differently with water and oily substances, a property useful in liquid and semi-solid preparations.
The number 407 identifies one specific member of the poloxamer family, rather than a plant or fragrance. Formulation studies describe temperature-dependent behavior for this polymer; that helps distinguish it from a simple surfactant, although a product's final texture depends on the whole ingredient combination and the amounts used.
POLOXAMER 407: what it does in cosmetics
In cosmetics, Poloxamer 407 can help keep water and oily components distributed more evenly. In everyday terms, this can support a uniform texture in products that bring together phases that would otherwise tend to separate, including some lotions, gels, and cleansing formulas.
It can also assist the cleansing step by helping the product base contact oil and residues that are meant to be rinsed away. Research on its temperature-responsive gels concerns pharmaceutical formulations under their own conditions and concentrations; it does not show that Poloxamer 407 alone delivers a skin-treatment result in an ordinary cosmetic.
Products containing this ingredient
See which products include it and the name used in each composition.
