Polyacrylate-13 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a synthetic thickener, film-former, and emulsion stabilizer used to build gel texture and suspend oils, pigments, or actives in water-based formulas.
What does Polyacrylate-13 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a synthetic thickener, film-former, and emulsion stabilizer used to build gel texture and suspend oils, pigments, or actives in water-based formulas.
Is Polyacrylate-13 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it has low direct irritation potential at typical use levels, but many clean frameworks flag non-biodegradable synthetic polymers. Residual monomers are tightly controlled in finished cosmetic grades.
Is Polyacrylate-13 sustainable?
This material is typically petroleum-derived and is not readily biodegradable. Its main sustainability concern is environmental persistence rather than acute aquatic impact.
Is Polyacrylate-13 COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic because it is a synthetic polymer with poor biodegradability. Its fit with Green Chemistry is weak due to fossil feedstocks and persistence, even though it can help create cold-process, low-energy formulations.
How does Polyacrylate-13 work chemically?
The molecule is a high-molecular-weight anionic polymer built from carboxylate-bearing vinyl monomers, giving it strong water-binding, viscosity-building, and film-forming behavior. It is commonly used as part of pre-neutralized polymer blends at low single-digit percentages, and it generally performs across a broad pH range while needing good dispersion to prevent clumping.
Last updated 2026-05-13