Carboxymethylcellulose sodium salt is used in drilling muds, in detergents as a soil-suspending agent, in resin emulsion paints, adhesives, printing inks, textile sizes and protective colloid. It acts as a stabilizer in foods. It is also employed in pharmaceuticals as a suspending agent and excipients for tablets. It is used as viscosity modifiers to stabilize the emulsions. It is used as a lubricant in artificial tears and it is used to characterize enzyme activity from endoglucanases.