Hydroxypropyl Starch
AKA “Hydroxypropyl starch ether, Hydroxypropyl starch ether pound HPS pound(c)”
Ingredient
Ingredient Facts
Hydroxypropyl starch
AKA: Hydroxypropyl starch ether, Hydroxypropyl starch ether pound HPS pound(c)
Ingredient · Viscosity Controlling · EWG: 1
Synthetic
Clean
Hydroxypropyl Starch is a propylene glycol ether of starch
CAS #
9049-76-7, 68584-86-1
Form
Powder
See origin →
Functions
Viscosity Controlling
Antioxidant
Boosts Collagen
Controls product thickness
Traditional Use
Starch, used as a powder for centuries, was chemically hydroxypropylated in the mid-20th century to improve water solubility. Used in modern cosmetics as a thickener and texture modifier.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
General
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
EWG
1
CIR
Safe as used
Pregnancy
Yes
CIR Safety Findings
Not a Sensitizer
medical-approval
all-shades-safe
Concentration Guide
Dermal absorption: 2%. Source: CIR Safety Assessment (CIR Seq 680).
Regulatory Agencies
Hydroxypropyl Starch
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Sodium Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Hydroxypropyl Starch
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Sodium Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Preparation and characterization of aminoethyl hydroxypropyl starch modified with collagen peptide.
Wen H, Hu J, Ge H, Zou S, Xiao Y et al.
International journal of biological macromolecules, 2017
Verified Jun 2026
Data: CosIng · EWG · CIR