Rate My SPF

Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

What Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer is & what it does

A popular thickener and emulsion stabilizer that gives a light, velvety, fast-absorbing feel. It works across a broad pH range with good stability.

What is Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer and what does it do in sunscreen?

It is a synthetic thickener and emulsion stabilizer. In a sunscreen it gels the water phase and helps keep the oil and water parts evenly mixed, which gives the finished cream a light, velvety, fast-absorbing feel. It works across a broad pH range with good stability, so it is popular in modern fluid and gel sunscreens.

Is Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer safe?

Yes. It is a large polymer that stays on the surface of the skin rather than penetrating, and it is widely used in cosmetics with a good tolerance record. At the small amounts used to thicken a formula it is non-irritating for most people. It is a texture ingredient, not an active.

Does Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer clog pores?

Generally no. It is a water-loving gelling polymer, not a heavy oil or wax, and it is used in tiny amounts to build texture. It is not one of the classic pore-clogging culprits. If a formula is breaking you out, the richer emollients and oils elsewhere in it are far more likely the cause.

Is Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer a thickener or an emulsifier?

Both, in a sense. Its main job is thickening and gelling the formula, but it also acts as an emulsion stabilizer that helps hold the oil and water phases together. That dual role is why formulators like it: one ingredient gives body and stability at once.

Is Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer natural?

No, it is synthetic. It is a copolymer built in a lab from acrylate-type building blocks, so it does not occur in nature. That is normal for this class of modern texture polymers, and synthetic here does not mean unsafe.

Sunscreens with Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer

We rate 557 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:

← All ingredients