E-numbers / Other additives / E1202
also: PVPP · Crospovidone · Insoluble PVP
A synthetic insoluble polymer added to beer, wine and food supplements to clarify liquids and bind unwanted particles before they are filtered out.
Scan a barcode to check a food for polyvinylpolypyrrolidone. NutraSafe Pro · £6.99/month · iPhone and Android
Grapes, Acidity Regulator (Tartaric Acid), Processing Aids (Bentonite, Diammonium Phosphate, Milk Proteins, Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone, Yeast, Enzymes, Yeast Autolysate, Oak Staves), Preservative (Sulphur Dioxide), Packaging Gas (Nitrogen).
Insoluble and not absorbed; no genotoxicity concern.
UK supermarket foods that declare E1202: 6 of the 43,325 we checked (under 0.1%)
Counted by its code or its name in the ingredient list.
Counted by NutraSafe from UK supermarket ingredient lists, September 2026. How we counted
Why it’s worth knowing. Insoluble and not absorbed; no genotoxicity concern.
Polyvinylpolypyrrolidone (PVPP) is a highly cross-linked, insoluble synthetic polymer made from the monomer N-vinylpyrrolidone. Because of its cross-linked structure it cannot dissolve or be absorbed; it passes straight through the gut without entering the body.
PVPP works by selectively binding polyphenols (tannins and other phenolic compounds) that would otherwise cause cloudiness, haze or bitter off-flavours in beverages. The bound complexes are then removed by filtration before bottling. In food supplements it acts as a tablet disintegrant or binder, and as a carrier for certain food colours used on decorative eggshells.
Most commonly used as a processing aid in beer and wine, where it is removed before the final product reaches the consumer and therefore does not appear on the label. When used as a food additive in its own right, it appears in dietary food supplements, tabletop sweeteners, and colour tablets for decorating eggshells. On a label it will appear as 'polyvinylpolypyrrolidone' or 'E1202'.
Because PVPP is insoluble and highly cross-linked, it is not absorbed from the gut under any studied conditions. Studies in animals given very high doses found no systemic accumulation and negligible gastrointestinal uptake. EFSA confirmed this in its 2020 re-evaluation, noting that the polymer is too large and insoluble to cross biological membranes.
PVPP is insoluble at all physiologically relevant pH values, is not metabolised, and is not absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract in animal studies.
Standard genotoxicity tests on PVPP are negative. Long-term animal feeding studies have not shown carcinogenic or reproductive effects at doses far exceeding any realistic dietary exposure. EFSA found no indication of concern from the available toxicological database.
No evidence of mutagenicity or genotoxicity was found in a standard battery of in vitro and in vivo tests.
EFSA completed a systematic re-evaluation of PVPP in 2020 as part of the EU programme to reassess all pre-2009 food additives. The panel concluded there was no safety concern at current permitted levels. No numerical acceptable daily intake was set because the substance is not absorbed; exposure is considered irrelevant at the gut-only level.
EFSA concluded that E1202 does not raise a safety concern for any of the population groups at the maximum permitted levels currently authorised in EU food law.
No group needs to specifically avoid PVPP as a food additive ingredient, given it is not absorbed. When used as a processing aid in beer and wine it is removed before the product is sold, so it is not present in those drinks anyway. Individuals avoiding synthetic polymers for personal reasons should look for 'E1202' or 'polyvinylpolypyrrolidone' on supplement or sweetener labels.
PVPP sits at the mundane end of the additive spectrum. It is an insoluble polymer that goes in one end and comes out the other without entering the body, which is why regulators have consistently found nothing to act on. The 2020 EFSA re-evaluation, which is a rigorous systematic review rather than a rubber stamp, reached the same conclusion as every prior assessment. The most realistic consumer encounter with it is zero, because in the products where it does most work (beer, wine) it is filtered out before bottling and does not appear in the ingredient list at all.
No. E1202 is approved in both the UK and the EU. It appears on the UK FSA approved-additives list and is authorised under assimilated EU Regulation 1333/2008.
No. When used in brewing or winemaking, PVPP is a processing aid that is filtered out before bottling. It does not appear in the finished drink and does not need to be declared on the label.
When declared on a label, E1202 can appear in dietary food supplements, tabletop sweeteners, and colour tablets used to decorate egg shells. In beer and wine it is used and then removed, so it will not be in the ingredient list.
Yes. PVPP is a fully synthetic polymer with no animal-derived components.
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