The present invention was aimed to provide a low-stringiness thickener consisting of a compound in high demand as a thickener for cosmetics, i.e., polyacrylic acid or a salt thereof, or PAMPS or a salt thereof, where a stringiness property of the compound was reduced. A low-stringiness thickener consisting of a compound selected from polyacrylic acid, a salt of polyacrylic acid, PAMPS, and a salt of PAMPS, wherein the weight-average m olecular weight of the compound is 500 thousand to 8 million, and wherein the content of the compound having the molecular weight of 10 million or higher is 10 mass% or le ss.