Steareth-100/PEG-136/HDI Copolymer
Steareth-100/PEG-136/HDI copolymer
- Role
- Thickens the water-based base and controls its viscosity.
- Catalog formulas
- 11
- Type
- Texture
- Verified
- 06.11.2026
What does this ingredient do in an antiperspirant?
A polymer made from steareth-100, PEG-136 and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). CosIng lists its function as viscosity controlling, and the CIR report describes it as an aqueous viscosity-increasing agent.
Part of a system, not a label in isolation
In the catalog it appears in roll-ons, where it sets the consistency of the liquid. According to the CIR, it has been used in a non-spray underarm deodorant at up to 1.6%; it does not reduce sweating.
The CIR (2016) included it among the 17 HDI polymers found safe in the present practices of use. Tests of the raw material found no fractions below 1000 Da, and residual diisocyanate was below the detection limit.
Undiluted, it did not irritate rabbit skin or eyes in standard OECD tests. An individual reaction to the finished product is still possible.
Despite the "HDI" in its name, it is a finished polymer, not free diisocyanate. It is also not the same as the separate ingredient Steareth-100.
Products containing Steareth-100/PEG-136/HDI Copolymer
Links are based on the complete published INCI list for the exact product version.
Sources
The conclusions apply to the stated conditions and jurisdictions, not automatically to every concentration or product.
- EU CosIng: STEARETH-100/PEG-136/HDI COPOLYMER Supports: function, substance identity
- CIR: Safety Assessment of Hexamethylene Diisocyanate (HDI) Polymers as Used in Cosmetics (2016) Supports: function, safety assessment, use concentration, impurities, irritation data