It is sold under a variety of trade names and is used as a thickener and emulsifier in various food and cosmetic products, and also as a bulk-forming laxative.

[citation needed] Methyl cellulose is used in the manufacture of drug capsules; its edible and nontoxic properties provide a vegetarian alternative to the use of gelatin.

[citation needed] Methyl cellulose is occasionally added to hair shampoos, tooth pastes and liquid soaps, to generate their characteristic thick consistency.

[citation needed] Methyl cellulose finds a major application as a performance additive in construction materials.

Notable examples of dry mixture mortars which utilize methyl cellulose include tile adhesives, EIFS, insulating plasters, hand-trowelled and machine-sprayed plaster, stucco, self-leveling flooring, extruded cement panels, skim coats, joint & crack fillers, and tile grouts.

These derivatives typically improve the characteristics such as water retention, vertical surface slip resistance, open time, etc.

Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) is an FDA-approved water-soluble adhesive, has been used in various wet-adhesion applications in construction products, paints, and drug delivery for 70 years.

[citation needed] Methyl cellulose is used as sizing in the production of papers and textiles as it protects the fibers from absorbing water or oil.

When applied to several pieces of paper, methyl cellulose will bind the layers together, often to create a more durable or multicolored sheet.

They mitigate fugitive dust released in arid and semi-arid areas as well as improve commercial face masks when used in the filtering material.

[13] Aqueous methyl cellulose solutions have been used to slow bacterial and protozoal cell motility for closer inspection.

[citation needed] Methyl cellulose is used as a buffer additive in capillary electrophoresis to control electroosmotic flow for improved separations.

[citation needed] The slimy, gooey appearance of an appropriate preparation of methyl cellulose with water, in addition to its nontoxic, nonallergenic, and edible properties, makes it popular for use in special effects for motion pictures and television wherever vile slimes must be simulated.

[citation needed] Methyl cellulose was also a stand-in for the lava flows in Los Angeles in Volcano and on the volcanic surface of Mustafar, in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.

[citation needed] Different kinds of methyl cellulose can be prepared depending on the number of hydroxyl groups substituted.