Patent ID: 8710066

Claim:
A method of inhibiting water evaporation of an aqueous composition, comprising: incorporating, into an aqueous composition, (A) a polyoxyethylene alkyl or alkenyl ether having an alkyl or alkenyl group having 20 to 24 carbon atoms and an average molar number of ethylene oxide added of 1.5 to 4; (B) a water-soluble polymer; (C) a nonionic surfactant having an ethylene oxide group (but excluding component (A)); (D) water; and (E) at least one member selected from the group consisting of a metal of Group 1 in the periodic table, a metal of Group 2 in the periodic table, and a water-soluble compound of these metals, wherein a content mass ratio of component (C) to component (E) is from 1:20 to 50:1.