non-toxic andnon-allergenic viscosity modifier or thickener
CMC is used in food science as a viscosity modifier or thickener, and to stabilize emulsions in various products including ice cream.
It is also a constituent of many non-food products, such as K-Y Jelly, toothpaste, laxatives, diet pills, water-based paints, detergents, textile sizing and various paper products.
It is used primarily because it has high viscosity, is non-toxic, and is non-allergenic. In laundry detergents it is used as a soil suspension polymer designed to deposit onto cotton and other cellulosic fabrics creating a negatively charged barrier to soils in the wash solution.
CMC is used as a lubricant in non-volatile eye drops (artificial tears). Sometimes it is methyl cellulose (MC) which is used, but its non-polar methyl groups (-CH3) do not add any solubility or chemical reactivity to the base cellulose.
CMC is also used in ice packs to form a eutectic mixture resulting in a lower freezing point and therefore more cooling capacity than ice.
carmellose sodium
