E-numbers / Thickeners & emulsifiers / E468
also: croscarmellose sodium · cross-linked cellulose gum
A chemically modified plant fibre used in food supplement tablets to help them break apart quickly after swallowing.
Scan a barcode to check a food for cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. NutraSafe Pro · £6.99/month · iPhone and Android
Lactose (Milk), Sweetener: Steviol Glycosides from Stevia (14.8%), Flavourings, Stabilisers: Microcrystalline Cellulose, Cross-Linked Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose
Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (also called cross-linked cellulose gum or croscarmellose sodium) is a modified form of cellulose, the structural fibre found in plant cell walls.
Cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (also called cross-linked cellulose gum or croscarmellose sodium) is a modified form of cellulose, the structural fibre found in plant cell walls. It is made by treating sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (E466) with a cross-linking agent, creating a three-dimensional network of cellulose chains. The result is a powder that swells rapidly on contact with water but does not dissolve.
In tablet and capsule form, E468 acts as a disintegrant. When a tablet is swallowed and reaches the stomach, the cross-linked cellulose swells as it absorbs water, forcing the tablet apart and releasing the active ingredients. Because the cellulose chains are cross-linked rather than free, the material holds its structure in dry conditions but expands dramatically when wet, making it highly effective at breaking down compressed tablets quickly.
Used almost exclusively in food supplement tablets and capsules, where it helps vitamin, mineral, and herbal tablets disintegrate after swallowing. It is rarely found in mainstream food products. On a label it may appear as 'cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose', 'cross-linked cellulose gum', or 'E468'.
Cross-linked cellulose is not broken down by digestive enzymes and is not absorbed through the gut wall. It passes through the gastrointestinal tract intact, behaving broadly like insoluble dietary fibre. No systemic exposure occurs at the levels used in food supplements.
Cellulose and its derivatives, including cross-linked forms, are not digested or absorbed in the human small intestine and pass into the colon unchanged.
The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and EFSA have both reviewed the cellulose family. No numerical acceptable daily intake has been set for E468 because the available evidence does not indicate a toxicological risk at the levels used in food. The permitted uses are narrow, confined mainly to food supplements, so real-world intake from food is very low.
No numerical ADI was established for cross-linked sodium carboxymethyl cellulose; it is permitted on a quantum satis basis within its approved food categories.
Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/666 updated specifications for cellulose food additives including E468, clarifying purity and identity criteria.
No group is advised to avoid E468 on safety grounds. People with rare hypersensitivity to cellulose derivatives should check supplement ingredient lists for 'E468', 'cross-linked cellulose gum', or 'croscarmellose sodium', though such reactions are extremely uncommon.
E468 sits in a corner of the additive list that attracts little controversy. Its use is confined to supplement tablets, it is not absorbed by the body, and neither EFSA nor JECFA has identified a toxicological threshold requiring a numerical limit. The science on the cellulose family is longstanding and the gaps are narrow: most open questions concern batch-to-batch purity specifications rather than physiological effects. For someone who takes vitamin or mineral supplements, it is one of the most structurally unremarkable tablet ingredients on the label.
No. E468 is approved for use in the UK under the assimilated EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, permitted in food supplement tablets.
It acts as a disintegrant: when the tablet reaches your stomach and comes into contact with water, E468 swells rapidly and pushes the tablet apart, releasing the active ingredients so they can be absorbed.
Almost exclusively food supplement tablets and capsules, such as vitamin, mineral, and herbal supplements. It is not used in everyday food products like bread, drinks, or ready meals.
Yes. It is derived from plant cellulose and contains no animal-derived ingredients.
Last reviewed: 20 June 2026
It's the only app that does thisUKJaneK
You Need This AppGmac2005
Best AppGK getting skinny UK App Store reviews
NutraSafe reads the label and puts every additive into plain English, with the source, right in the app.
NutraSafe Pro · £6.99/month · iPhone and Android
