Acrylates/Stearyl Methacrylate Copolymer ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily a rheology modifier and film-forming polymer. It helps thicken formulas, stabilize suspensions, improve texture, and support hold in gels, creams, cleansers, and styling products.
What does Acrylates/Stearyl Methacrylate Copolymer do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily a rheology modifier and film-forming polymer. It helps thicken formulas, stabilize suspensions, improve texture, and support hold in gels, creams, cleansers, and styling products.
Is Acrylates/Stearyl Methacrylate Copolymer clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it has friction because it is a synthetic polymer often grouped with persistent microplastic-style materials. Skin irritation is usually low due to its large molecular size, but residual monomers and polymer persistence are the main screening concerns.
Is Acrylates/Stearyl Methacrylate Copolymer sustainable?
This material is typically petroleum-derived and not readily biodegradable. Its environmental profile is limited by persistence rather than acute irritation or direct user-safety concerns.
Is Acrylates/Stearyl Methacrylate Copolymer COSMOS-approved?
It is not aligned with COSMOS natural or organic standards because it is a synthetic, non-readily biodegradable polymer. It scores weakly against Green Chemistry preferences for renewable feedstocks, biodegradability, and simple end-of-life behavior.
How does Acrylates/Stearyl Methacrylate Copolymer work chemically?
The molecule is a high-molecular-weight comb-like copolymer with a carbon-carbon backbone and long C18 alkyl side chains that associate in water to build viscosity and structure. It is commonly used at low levels, often about 0.1% to 2%, and typically needs neutralization or the right pH and surfactant environment to fully develop thickening performance.
Last updated 2026-05-13