Every formulation must have the proper rheological properties for easy dispensing from packaging and application to the body. There is a 3V rheology modifier for every type of personal care product. The formulator can select from a wide range of performance polymers in powder or easier-to-use liquid form. Several proprietary chemistries are patented by 3V with unique identifying INCI Names. These specialty polymers allow you to develop products with their own rheological character to make your product stand out from the rest.

Central to 3V is its years of experience in the development, synthesis and manufacture of polymers of acrylic acid. In fact, 3V is one of the earliest manufacturers of the homopolymer Carbomer. In personal care products Carbomer is nearly as ubiquitous as water. This is because it is an extremely cost-effective thickener imparting the pseudoplastic shear-thinning rheology and yield value desired in finished products. It is reassuring to know that right from the very start all of our Carbomers were, and continue to be, ‘benzene-free’. This is also true for all polymers in our portfolio.

Perhaps the most familiar use of Carbomer is its application in hair styling gels. Many formulators also utilize our Carbomers as emulsion stabilizers because they can be added either to oil or water to thicken the external phase of an oil-in-water (O/W) cream or lotion. We have many variants of Carbomer differentiated by molecular weight, degree of cross-linking, surface treatment (for faster dispersal) etc. to give the key attributes your specific formula requires. We even offer PNC 400, a pre-neutralized Carbomer that simplifies inventory, shortens batch times and can be added at any point in the manufacturing process to adjust final viscosity without the necessity to add water and dilute active ingredients. For certain, 3V has a cost-competitive Carbomer offering to meet your needs.

In addition to its many Carbomer variants there are two more non-associative type thickeners in liquid easy-to-use form. Primarily designed for building the viscosity of shampoos and body washes, SYNTALEN W 400 is an Acrylates Copolymer that provides peak performance (viscosity, clarity and yield value) at low pH 4.5-5.5 (required for sodium benzoate and/or benzoic acid preservative efficacy). SYNTHALEN W 600 is designed for higher pH systems.

There are several proprietary associative thickeners in our portfolio too. STABYLEN 30 and SYNTHALEN W2000 are multi-functional hydrophobically-modified copolymers associate at the interface of oil and water. In skin care creams and lotions they function as emulsifiers. In hair care products they provide additional benefits such as a non-tacky feel, better salt-tolerance, etc. They also, can be more efficient thickeners because the lipophilic pendant groups attached to the acrylate backbone of the polymer chain can associate with one another to form an interwoven matrix.

3V also manufactures SYNTHALEN CR and SYNTHALEN CN, the only polymers of acrylic acid that are quaternized to provide a cationic charge. These polymers do not require neutralization to build viscosity and yield value. They are an obvious choice for conditioning hair and skin. They work extremely well in low pH products like AHA creams and DHA self-tanners. They are even compatible with iron oxides. As a substantive film-former they enhance the water-resistance of sunscreen actives. The data substantiating that claim is part of a US Patent Application.