An adhesive composition including at least 7% and at most 30% by weight of adhesive component, which adhesive component includes at least one polyvinyl alcohol and/or at least one dextrin and/or at least one starch, further including a carbomer and optionally a boron compound, wherein the pH of the composition is at most 13.0 and, if starch and the boron compound are present, more than 91.0% of all the starches in the composition are in a cold water insoluble form. Further provided are a solid dry premix suitable as the basis for the adhesive composition, and processes for preparing the solid dry premix, or the adhesive composition, and articles wherein any of these are employed to form an adhesive bond with a substrate.