Polylactic Acid
What Polylactic Acid is & what it does
A plant-derived, biodegradable polymer used as a smooth, eco-friendly exfoliating bead and texturizer. It buffs skin gently without microplastic concerns.
What does Polylactic Acid do in skincare?
In cosmetics, Polylactic Acid is typically used as a film-forming or texture-modifying ingredient, often in powder or microsphere form to give a smooth, soft feel and help blur the look of the skin. It is a polymer built from lactic acid units. In sunscreens it can improve texture and finish rather than provide UV protection.
Is Polylactic Acid safe?
Polylactic Acid is a well-studied polymer used in cosmetics, packaging, and medical materials, and it is generally considered safe for topical use. It is biodegradable and inert on the skin surface. As always, sensitive skin can react to any product, so patch testing is reasonable.
Is Polylactic Acid natural or synthetic?
It is usually classed as a bio-based but synthesized polymer: the lactic acid building blocks often come from fermenting plant sugars, then they are chemically linked into the polymer. So it is nature-sourced at the raw- material stage but manufactured into its final form.
Sunscreens with Polylactic Acid
We rate 12 sunscreens that contain it, showing the top 10 by overall score:
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bareMinerals Prime Time BB Primer-cream
84/100
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Cyberderm Simply Zinc Ultra Sun Whip Spf 50
78/100
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Cyberderm Simply Zinc Ultra SPF 50
78/100
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Ava Isa Pure Untinted Ultra Matte Spf 45 Sunscreen
77/100
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La Roche-Posay Anthelios Airlicium SPF 70
76/100
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Sculplla H2 Repair Sun Cushion Spf 50
74/100
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House of PLLA Hop+ Plla Skin Repair Sun Cushion SPF 50
74/100
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Eleven Unrivaled Sun Serum Spf 35
71/100
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Cyberderm Yberderm - Natural Ava Isa Sun-E-Serum Drops SPF 35
71/100
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Ava Isa Sun-è-serum Drops SPF 35
70/100