What are the main uses of HPMC?

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) is a nonionic cellulose ether with excellent water solubility, thickening properties, film-forming properties, water retention, and chemical stability. As a multifunctional polymer additive, it plays a crucial role in numerous industrial fields.

Main application areas include:

Building Materials: As a key additive in dry-mixed mortars (such as tile adhesives, thermal insulation mortars, gypsum-based plasters, self-leveling compounds, and putties), it primarily functions as a thickener, water retainer, improves workability and anti-sagging properties, effectively enhancing the material's bonding strength and workability.

Pharmaceutical Industry: As an important pharmaceutical excipient, it is used in tablet coating, sustained-release formulation matrices, capsule shells (plant-derived), and as a binder and thickener in granules and tablets, exhibiting good biocompatibility and controllable drug release.

Food Industry

As a food additive (INS 464), it primarily functions as an emulsifier, stabilizer, thickener, gelling agent, mouthfeel improver, and film-forming agent. It is commonly found in sauces, dairy products, low-fat foods, and candy coatings.

Cosmetics and Daily Chemicals

In skincare products, shampoos, shower gels, and toothpaste, it functions as a thickener, emulsifier, stabilizer, and moisturizer, improving product texture and stability. It can also be used as a mild lubricant in eye drops and contact lens solutions.

Other Industrial Sector

In industries such as coatings, ceramics, oilfield drilling fluids, papermaking, and textiles, it is used as a rheology modifier, water-retaining agent, adhesive, or structural enhancer to meet specific process and performance requirements.

In summary, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, with its comprehensive physicochemical properties and safety and reliability, has become an indispensable functional additive in multiple industry systems, continuously supporting the performance improvement and development of related products and technologies.