Calcium thioglycolate

Calcium thioglycolate (CAS 37457-75-3) is the calcium salt of thioglycolic acid, used primarily as a depilatory and hair-waving agent in personal care formulations.

Where is Calcium thioglycolate used?

• Personal care: depilatory creams and lotions that disrupt hair protein at the skin surface
• Hair care: active reducing agent in cold wave and permanent wave formulations
• Textile processing: reducing agent for wool treatments, improving fiber softness and dye receptivity
• Leather processing: unhairing agent that loosens hair and helps remove the epidermis from hides before tanning
• It breaks disulfide bonds in keratin, enabling controlled hair removal.

Good to know: Unlike sodium or potassium thioglycolate, it allows restructuring without strongly alkaline alternatives and clean removal with minimal irritation.

Commercial specifications

• Cosmetic-grade purity levels typically documented to meet formulator requirements