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Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer

What Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer is & what it does

A synthetic thickener that builds clear gels and stabilizes emulsions, giving a smooth, non-greasy texture. It helps suspend ingredients evenly without adding oiliness.

What is Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer and what does it do in sunscreen?

Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer is a synthetic thickener and stabilizer. In sunscreen it builds clear gels and helps hold an emulsion together, giving a smooth, non-greasy texture and suspending other ingredients evenly. Because it thickens without adding oiliness, it is useful in lightweight, fluid sunscreens. It shows up across many products in our catalog, including lotions and spray gels.

Is Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer safe?

Yes. It is a large polymer that stays on the surface of the skin rather than being absorbed, and acrylate copolymers like this have a long track record as cosmetic thickeners and film formers. It is non-reactive and well tolerated for most people at the levels used in skincare. It functions purely as a texture ingredient, not an active.

Does Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer clog pores?

Generally no. It is a high-molecular-weight polymer used to thicken and stabilize, not a heavy oil or wax, so it is not considered a pore-clogging ingredient. It is also used in small amounts. If a product breaks you out, the richer emollients elsewhere in the formula are the more likely cause.

Is Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer natural or synthetic?

It is synthetic. It is made by joining acrylate and methacrylate building blocks into a copolymer in a lab, and the finished material does not occur in nature. That is normal for modern thickeners, which are chosen for consistent, reliable texture.

What is Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer on an ingredient list (INCI)?

Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer is the full INCI name printed on the label. The C12-22 part refers to the length of the alkyl chains attached to the methacrylate, which gives this particular copolymer its thickening and texture behavior. It usually sits in the middle of an ingredient list among the other texture and emulsion ingredients.

Sunscreens with Acrylates/C12-22 Alkyl Methacrylate Copolymer

We rate 177 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

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