They both can be added to fondant to make it more like gumpaste so that it dries harder and faster.
CMC and Gum trag are also other names/brands of it. They all do the same thing in the end.
Gum tex, cmc, and tylose (a brand name) are basically the same thing and work in the same way. Mixed with fondant, the result is almost immediate.
Gum trag is a bit different and needs a much longer time to become effective when mixed in with fondant. It needs at least 6 hrs. of rest, and 24hrs. is even better. It's also more expensive and it loses effectiveness as it ages.
HTH
Rae
GumTex has a particular scent to it, and is kind of pinkish. Tylose is white and doesn't have a scent. I'd rather use Tylose anyday, but GumTex will do the same thing in a pinch.
GumTex is made from gum karaya and Tylose is made with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). If you buy CMC online, you have to make sure it's intended for food use...it's also used in working with stained glass, and making fireworks, and the ones sold for that aren't food safe.
I tried GumTex in a pinch when I didn't have Tylose and it did NOT have the same effect.
You have to use more of it. It's not as stretchy though.
Okay - I haven't delved deeply into this area. If you're looking for something that works like gumpaste....why not just use gumpaste?
Is it a pain to make? Expensive to buy? Horrible to handle?
I'm a cookie lady, don't know much about this....trying to learn here.....
I tried GumTex in a pinch when I didn't have Tylose and it did NOT have the same effect.
You have to use more of it. It's not as stretchy though.
Yep. And if you have the time to let it sit, it works better, too.
Rae
You add the dry gums to fondant to create gum paste.
It's EASIER & LESS MESSY than making gum paste from scratch and a quick way to do it in a pinch.
Rae
Okay - I haven't delved deeply into this area. If you're looking for something that works like gumpaste....why not just use gumpaste?
Is it a pain to make? Expensive to buy? Horrible to handle?
I'm a cookie lady, don't know much about this....trying to learn here.....
I do make gumpaste 
I use Nicholas Lodge's recipe with the tylose. It comes out nice and stretchy and has a lot of body to it.
I've made the wilton recipe with the GumTex before but it was hard to work with and smelled bad.
Some people like to add the tylose or gumtex to fondant to make it stiffer...for example, a handle on a purse cake...without making a whole batch of gumpaste and coloring it to match the fondant they're already working with.
Okay - I haven't delved deeply into this area. If you're looking for something that works like gumpaste....why not just use gumpaste?
Because sometimes you don't need something that dries as hard or as fast as gumpaste. By mixing it you can make it where you have more time to work with it than gumpaste but it will hold it's shape better than just fondant.
I'm an odd one I guess. I like gum-tex over tylose, but then again I use it for molding figures and bows. If I am doing flowers then I go ahead and use gumpaste for that.
Can you add tylose to buttercream? Just curious...
Can you add tylose to buttercream? Just curious...
Not for any reason that I could ever imagine. It doesn't taste that great and with all the fat in buttercream, I doubt that it would serve any purpose.
Rae
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