Carbopol 940 is a polyvinyl carboxy polymer used as a viscosity enhancer, gelling agent, or suspension agent. Carbopol 940 is cross linked with ethers of pentaerythritol, and is used primarily in systems where sparkling clarity or a sharp viscosity response is required. Carbopol 940 will impart unbelievable softness and glide, comparable to the glycols, when added to your formulations. Carbopol 940 can be used to thicken surfactant systems and to create suspension products and is excellent when you need to suspend heavy particles. Viscosity actually has nothing to do with the ability of a product to suspend items such as jojoba beads or capispheres. For instance, a shower gel as thick as jello will allow the beads to either sink or rise …while a water thin product that contains Carbopol can suspend ball bearings. This is because the Carbopol forms a “Network” that suspends the beads very effectively. Carbopol 940 can also be used to create gel products very easily and cost effectively and Carbopol viscosity stands up to the incorporation of different fragrance and essential oils much better than standard surfactant thickeners. When surfactant thickeners are used, fragrance and essential oils can get into the middle of the micellar structure of the gel formed and interfere with it to have a dramatic effect on surfactant systems. By contrast, the network created by Carbopol 940 is not influenced in this way.
