Cosmetic ingredient dictionary
PVP in cosmetics: what it is and what it does
PVP is a cosmetic ingredient that makes the product thicker or thinner. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 189 products, most often hair care.
By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 2 sourcesHow we check
What does PVP do in a product?
In a cosmetic product, PVP makes the product thicker or thinner, leaves a thin film on skin, hair or nails and reduces static, so hair stays flat. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: viscosity controlling, film forming, antistatic, binding, emulsion stabilising and hair fixing.
What other names and numbers does PVP have?
- CAS number
- 9003-39-8
- CosIng reference
- 37364
Which products contain PVP?
Open Beauty Facts finds PVP in the ingredient lists of 189 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often hair care, toothpastes and hair gels.
Products with it, by country of sale: France 46 · Germany 36 · Australia 26 · United States 22.
Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where PVP turns up, not how much of the market it is.
Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors
Sources
The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.
- European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
- Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check
Create a website profile with the things you avoid and the people you check for.
Build my profileSaved to your account. On launch day, sign in to the app with the same email and carry on where you left off.