POLYACRYLAMIDE

Description: POLYACRYLAMIDE — thickener, film-forming agent.

All Functions: thickener, film-forming agent

Quick Facts:

• Category: other
• Regulatory Note: Restricted in the EU

Proven Benefits At A Glance:

• Polyacrylamide is affirmed safe as a cosmetic ingredient at typical use concentrations by an expert safety panel
• The ingredient has been studied in hydrogel forms for flexible, skin-like properties in research applications
• When combined with nanoparticles in lab studies, polyacrylamide-based materials showed antimicrobial and antioxidant properties
• Research on polyacrylamide hydrogels suggests potential for wearable sensing applications, though this is still experimental

Safety tier is a starting heuristic from regulatory status and comedogenic rating, not a dermatological verdict — see our Terms for the full disclaimer. Research confidence reflects how many real cited studies back this ingredient, not the strength of their findings.

🧪 POLYACRYLAMIDE

POLYACRYLAMIDE

CAS Number: 9003-05-8

Also Known As: —

Category: other

EC Number: –

Korean Name: 폴리아크릴아마이드

2-Propenamide, homopolymer

POLYACRYLAMIDE is an other ingredient used in skincare formulations.

🌍 Regulatory Status

📊 Comedogenicity

📚 Research & Evidence

🔬 The Science

Polyacrylamide is a synthetic polymer that has received safety clearance for use in cosmetics. The International Journal of Toxicology (2023) reports that an Expert Panel for Cosmetic Ingredient Safety reviewed updated safety data and reaffirmed their original 1991 conclusion that polyacrylamide is safe when used as a cosmetic ingredient at the concentrations and in the product types described in current practice. Beyond basic safety, researchers have explored polyacrylamide in hydrogel form—a gel-like material that absorbs water—for various experimental applications. #1: In materials science research, polyacrylamide hydrogels have been engineered to mimic skin-like mechanical properties, including flexibility and stretchability (ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2021).

These hydrogels can be made transparent and soft while remaining strong enough to withstand significant stretching—properties being investigated for wearable electronic sensors that track body movement, though these applications remain in the research phase and are not current skincare products. #2: When polyacrylamide is chemically modified and combined with metal nanoparticles (silver or gold) in laboratory studies, the resulting materials have shown antimicrobial and antioxidant properties in controlled testing (Biometals, 2024). Specifically, polyacrylamide-based nanocarriers with silver nanoparticles demonstrated the ability to scavenge free radicals and inhibit bacterial biofilms in vitro. However, these are experimental formulations under investigation as potential alternatives to conventional antibiotics, not established skincare ingredients.

#3: Blood compatibility testing of a polyacrylamide-based nanocomplex containing zinc oxide nanoparticles showed good hemocompatibility at low concentrations, though the researchers note that testing at high concentrations revealed hemolysis at doses above 400 mg/L (Nanotechnology, 2023). This research is relevant to medical device development rather than topical skincare. In summary, polyacrylamide itself is established as safe for cosmetic use at normal concentrations. The bulk of recent research focuses on experimental hydrogel and nanoparticle formulations that remain in early-stage development and are not yet common in consumer skincare products.

💧 Skin Type Compatibility

⚠️ Don’t Combine With

🧴 Products Containing POLYACRYLAMIDE

• John Frieda FRIZZ esse Traumlocken
• Disaar Vitamine c
• simonds pantalla solar crema
• du monde à la Provence Flora : crème jour à l’argan bio parfum rose
• PEGGY SAGE Gommage Corps Fleur de Cerisier
• Provence Santé crème légère anti âge
• Carrefour Soin de jour hydratant fondant
• Fior di Magnolia Crema Mani Rapido Assorbimento con Estratto di Menta Acquatica e Aloe Vera
• Neutrogena Gel de Limpeza Facial Neutrogena Hydro Boost
• Neutrogena Hydro Boost Aqua-Gel
• Les Cosmetiques Crema antiedad de día para piel mixta y grasa booster plan
• Les Cosmetiques Crema antiedad de día para piel normal y seca booster plan
• Ducrem Emulsion reparadora y refrescante
• Bioderma Bioderma Lait de toilette ABCDerm
• Totalist, Yanbal Totalist Crema Anti Arrugas Jalea Real
• Moisturiser
• Aveeno daily moisturizer with salicylic acid
• Brompton hand cream
• Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
• Neutrogena Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel-Cream Eye

📄 Related Research

Matched by search — not necessarily verified support for every statement above.

• Raj PS et al. (2023). Polyacrylamide. Int J Toxicol.
• Yi FL et al. (2021). Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Composite E-skin Fully Mimicking Human Skin. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces.
• Tkachenko A et al. (2024). Antibacterial and antioxidant activity of gold and silver nanoparticles in dextran-polyacrylamide copolymers. Biometals.
• Zhang W et al. (2022). Gradient adhesion modification of polyacrylamide/alginate-calcium tough hydrogels. J Mater Chem B.
• Onishchenko AI et al. (2023). Hemocompatibility of dextran-graft-polyacrylamide/zinc oxide nanosystems: hemolysis or eryptosis?. Nanotechnology.