Polyester-8 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a synthetic film-former used to improve water resistance, wear, and spread in sunscreens and color cosmetics. It can also help stabilize UV-filter systems and support more even coverage on skin.
What does Polyester-8 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a synthetic film-former used to improve water resistance, wear, and spread in sunscreens and color cosmetics. It can also help stabilize UV-filter systems and support more even coverage on skin.
Is Polyester-8 clean?
From a clean beauty perspective, it faces friction because it is a persistent synthetic polymer rather than a readily biodegradable cosmetic material. Skin irritation potential is generally low due to its large molecular size, with quality control focused on residual monomers and processing impurities.
Is Polyester-8 sustainable?
It is typically petrochemical-derived and is not readily biodegradable. The main environmental issue is persistence after rinse-off or wear-off, especially in formulas designed for long wear and water resistance.
Is Polyester-8 COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted in COSMOS-organic or COSMOS-natural formulations because it falls outside the allowed natural, naturally derived, and limited synthetic ingredient categories. Its Green Chemistry fit is weak, with limited renewable sourcing and poor biodegradability, despite performance at relatively low use levels.
How does Polyester-8 work chemically?
The molecule is a high-molecular-weight synthetic ester-based polymer with UV-absorbing structural groups that improve film formation and photostability in oil-phase systems. It is oil-dispersible rather than water-soluble, generally stable under normal cosmetic processing, and is commonly used around 1% to 10% in sunscreen and water-resistant formulas.
Last updated 2026-05-13