Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Crosspolymer

TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily a synthetic rheology modifier, thickener, and stabilizer. It helps gels, creams, sunscreens, and emulsions hold texture, suspend particles, and resist separation.

What does Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Crosspolymer do in a cosmetic formula?

This ingredient is primarily a synthetic rheology modifier, thickener, and stabilizer. It helps gels, creams, sunscreens, and emulsions hold texture, suspend particles, and resist separation.

Is Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Crosspolymer clean?

From a clean-beauty perspective, it is usually well tolerated on skin but often flagged as a persistent synthetic polymer. Some standards scrutinize it for microplastic definitions and for tightly controlled residual monomers from manufacturing.

Is Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Crosspolymer sustainable?

This material is generally petroleum-derived and is not considered readily biodegradable. Its main sustainability concern is environmental persistence after rinse-off or wastewater release, rather than high use-level resource intensity.

Is Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Crosspolymer COSMOS-approved?

This ingredient is not permitted in COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic formulas because it is a synthetic, non-biodegradable polymer. It has weak Green Chemistry alignment due to fossil feedstocks and persistence, despite being effective at low concentrations and used without high-energy processing in finished formulas.

How does Sodium Acryloyldimethyltaurate/VP Crosspolymer work chemically?

The molecule is a high-molecular-weight, crosslinked anionic copolymer that swells in water to build viscosity and stabilize dispersed phases. It is commonly used around 0.1 to 2%, performs across a broad pH range, and can lose viscosity with high electrolyte load or strongly cationic co-formulants.

Last updated 2026-05-13