Acrylamide Copolymer ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a synthetic polymer used as a film-former, binder, viscosity builder, and suspension stabilizer in gels, lotions, color cosmetics, and hair styling products.
What does Acrylamide Copolymer do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a synthetic polymer used as a film-former, binder, viscosity builder, and suspension stabilizer in gels, lotions, color cosmetics, and hair styling products.
Is Acrylamide Copolymer clean?
Clean-beauty frameworks often flag it because it is a non-natural synthetic polymer and can carry tightly controlled traces of its starting monomer, a substance with regulatory attention. The finished polymer is usually low-irritation, but residue specifications matter.
Is Acrylamide Copolymer sustainable?
This material is typically petrochemical-derived and is not readily biodegradable. Its high molecular weight means it can persist in wastewater sludge or sediment rather than rapidly mineralize.
Is Acrylamide Copolymer COSMOS-approved?
It is generally not permitted in COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic formulas because it is a synthetic petrochemical polymer outside their allowed ingredient categories. Its Green Chemistry profile is weak because non-renewable feedstocks and poor biodegradability outweigh low use levels and formulation efficiency.
How does Acrylamide Copolymer work chemically?
This compound is a high-molecular-weight vinyl polymer made from amide-bearing repeating units, often supplied as a water-dispersible or pre-neutralized polymer system. It is generally stable across typical cosmetic pH ranges and is used at low levels to increase viscosity, improve suspension, and leave a flexible film.
Last updated 2026-09-01