Whipped topping is imitation whipped cream

Whipped cream

Whipped cream is cream that has been beaten by a mixer, whisk, or fork until it is light and fluffy. Whipped cream is often sweetened and sometimes flavored with vanilla, in which case it may be called Chantilly cream or crème Chantilly ....

. Like other ersatz

Ersatz

Ersatz means 'substituting for, and typically inferior in quality to', e.g. 'chicory is ersatz coffee'. It is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement...

 products, there are various reasons for using an imitation:

• To exclude dairy
  Dairy
  A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...
  
   ingredients to avoid milk allergies
  Milk allergy
  A milk allergy is a food allergy, an adverse immune reaction to one or more of the constituents of milk from any animal...
  
  .
• To support food taboos such as veganism
  Veganism
  Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
  
   or kosher meat and milk rules
  Milk and meat in Jewish law
  Mixtures of milk and meat are prohibited according to Jewish law. This dietary law, basic to kashrut, is based on a verse in the Book of Exodus, which forbids "boiling a goat in its mother's milk"...
  
  .
• To provide extended shelf life (often in the freezer).
• To reduce the price—though some popular brands cost twice as much as whipped cream.
• For convenience.

Whipped topping normally contains some mixture of partially hydrogenated oil, sweeteners, water, and stabilizers and emulsifiers added to prevent synieresis

Syneresis (chemistry)

Syneresis , in chemistry, is the extraction or expulsion of a liquid from a gel, as when lymph drains from a contracting clot of blood. Another example of syneresis is the collection of whey on the surface of yogurt...

, similar to margarine

Margarine

Margarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...

 instead of the butter fat in the cream used in whipped cream.

Brand names

"Cool Whip

Cool Whip

Cool Whip is a brand of imitation whipped cream named a whipped topping by its manufacturer. It is used in North America as a dessert topping and in some no-bake pie recipes. It was generally described as "non-dairy" as it contained no cream or milk and no lactose; however, it did contain the milk...

", a well-known U.S. brand

Brand

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 of whipped topping, is sometimes used as a genericized trademark

Genericized trademark

A genericized trademark is a trademark or brand name that has become the colloquial or generic description for, or synonymous with, a general class of product or service, rather than as an indicator of source or affiliation as intended by the trademark's holder...

to refer to any brand of topping. Cool Whip comes in two formats: either in a tub or in an air-compressed can.