A semi-solid vehicle. A cream is an emulsion, oil and water held together by an emulsifier. A gel is a thickened water or alcohol-water system with no oil phase. The two are grouped under one term here because records rarely distinguish them, although they differ in how they release an ingredient and how well they keep it stable.

Why it matters here

Two products stating the same peptide percentage in different bases are not equivalent, so the vehicle field is part of reading a cosmetic record rather than a note about packaging.

Also called

• cream base
• gel base
• emulsion base

Emulsion base is another name for the cream side of this term. Gels are not emulsions, and they are folded in here because records seldom separate the two.

Compounds carrying this term

None on file yet. This term is in the controlled vocabulary but no compound record currently uses it — which is a statement about our coverage, not about the term.

See also

• Aqueous Serum Base — Vehicle / Diluent
• Topical — Route of Administration
• Transdermal — Route of Administration