A conditioning composition is used in functional systems (personal care and household care compositions) that has a nonionic hydrophobically modified cellulose ether (HMCE) having a weight average molecular weight (Mw) with a lower limit of 400,000 and an upper limit of 2,000,000 and a hydrophobic substitution lower limit of 0.6 wt % and an upper limit amount which renders said cellulose ether insoluble in a 5 wt % solution of surfactant and less than 0.05% by weight soluble in water and wherein the cellulose ether provides conditioning benefit to the functional system substrate. This composition has at least one active functional system ingredient.