Tar gel formulation

A therapeutic aqueous gel composition suitable for treating skin comprising:

• (a) from about 1 to about 10% by weight of an organic solvent extract of Crude Coal Tar;
• (b) from about 25% to about 65% by weight of propylene glycol;
• (c) from about 20% to 35% by weight of ethyl alcohol;
• (d) from about 0.5% to about 5% by weight of a gelling agent;
• and
• (e) from about 5% to 35% water;
• said gelling agent being a neutralized carboxyl interpolymer of a monomeric monoolefinic acrylic acid of the structure:
• ##STR2## where R is a substituent selected from the class consisting of hydrogen and lower alkyl groups, and from about 0.1 to about 10% by weight based on the total monomers of a monomeric polyether of an oligosaccharide in which the hydroxyl groups which are modified are etherified with allyl groups, said polyether containing at least two allyl ether groups per oligosaccharide molecule and said interpolymer having a molecular weight of the order of about 1,000,000.