Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily a rheology modifier and film-forming agent, helping thicken formulas, suspend particles, and leave a flexible feel on skin or hair.
What does Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily a rheology modifier and film-forming agent, helping thicken formulas, suspend particles, and leave a flexible feel on skin or hair.
Is Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it has friction because it is a synthetic, persistent material rather than a readily biodegradable one. Skin irritation is generally low due to its large molecular size, but some standards flag it under plastic or microplastic criteria.
Is Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer sustainable?
It is typically made from petrochemical feedstocks and is not readily biodegradable. In rinse-off products, its persistence is the main environmental concern, especially when used as a dispersed solid or film-forming residue.
Is Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards. Its fit with Green Chemistry is weak because it relies on synthetic fossil-derived chemistry and persistence, even though it is often used at low levels and can improve formula stability.
How does Alkyl Acrylate Crosspolymer work chemically?
It is a high-molecular-weight, crosslinked synthetic network built from ester-substituted vinyl units, with crosslinks that let it swell and structure a formula rather than dissolve like a small molecule. Typical use is often around 0.1% to 2% depending on the grade and texture target, and performance can be affected by dispersion quality, shear, electrolytes, and pH adjustment for some systems.
Last updated 2026-05-13