FILM FORMER
Polyacrylate-2 Crosspolymer
- film former
A synthetic film-forming polymer. Polymers of this kind dry to a continuous film on the hair, which is how a styling product holds a shape.
- products in our library
- 15
- of researched products
- 0.2%
- on the label, in our styling gels
- usually #3
- most common in
- Styler: gel
- in water
- Water-dispersible
At a glance
Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
What the polymer class can do, not what any bottle claims.
How well the film survives damp air, as a class.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 2 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with shampoo | 4 of 5 |
| Hold | Firmest | 5 of 5 |
| Humidity resistance | Holds up | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Polyacrylate-2 Crosspolymer does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
The film is what holds a shape once the water has gone.
How firmly depends on the polymer class and how much of it is used.
A long-chain molecule that stays behind as the product dries.
It does not truly dissolve, and ordinary shampooing removes it.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Spreads through water without truly dissolving, and normal shampooing removes it.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: gel
11 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: curl cream
2 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: paste
1 product
|
supporting · #7 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Styler: gel | 11 | 4% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Styler: curl cream | 2 | 1% | 16 | 11 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 3% | 5 | 5 | supporting |
| Styler: paste | 1 | 1% | 7 | 7 | supporting |
We have not researched differences by product type yet. The reading below comes from where it sits on the labels in our library.
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 6 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 6 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 2 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 1 |
| 26+ | Trace | 0 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Why it matters to shoppers
What seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- hold that survives humidity
- a style that holds
- a product ordinary shampooing removes
- an exact safety score (we do not publish one for any ingredient)
- how a finished product performs, which depends on the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle, because label position never converts into a number
- a primary film former near the top of the ingredient list in our styling gels
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- a stiff, crunchy result on its own
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Commonly paired with
The ingredients that most often appear alongside this one in our library. We leave out the near-universal ones, because they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 10
- Caprylyl Glycol · 9
- PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil · 8
- Tocopherol · 7
- Carbomer · 5
- Polysorbate 20 · 5
- Triethanolamine · 4
- Sodium Lauryl Sulfate · 4
- Aminomethyl Propanol · 4
- Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil · 4
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to soften the strand, hold on to water, and clean and build foam.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Bumble and bumble · Styler
Gel
#2 on the label · $7.40/oz
Harry's · Styler
Sculpting Gel
#2 on the label · $1.34/oz
Moroccanoil · Styler
Styling Gel Strong
#2 on the label · $5.33/oz
MopTop · Styler
Curl Enhancer Gel
#3 on the label · $2.38/oz
MopTop · Styler
FuzzyDuck Kids Gel
#3 on the label · $2.50/oz
Oribe · Styler
Rock Hard Gel
#3 on the label · $9.41/oz
The Mane Choice · Styler
Tropical Moringa Sweet Oil & Honey Endless Moisture Braid Out Glaze
#4 on the label · $1.25/oz
18.21 Man Made · Styler
Hair Styling Gel - Sweet Tobacco
#5 on the label · $6.47/oz
Garnier Fructis · Finisher
Sleek & Shine Frizz Tamer Slick Back Hair Serum Wand
#5 on the label · $32.56/oz
Garnier Fructis · Styler
Whole Blends Hair Honey Jelly
#5 on the label · $1.71/oz
Carol's Daughter · Styler
Black Vanilla Moisture & Hold Jelly
#6 on the label · $1.17/oz
Blind Barber · Styler
Bryce Harper Hair Clay
#7 on the label · $9.60/oz
See all 15 products in the library that list Polyacrylate-2 Crosspolymer
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Polyacrylate-2 Crosspolymer
- polymer
- polyacrylate-2 crosspolymer
For your hair?
Whether Polyacrylate-2 Crosspolymer matters for your hair depends on your hair.
15 products in our library list itWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above comes from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references. The consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Seed entry, sourcing in progress Written from our reference work; primary sourcing is still being attached.
No published source is attached to this entry yet.
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 15 of 6816 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one comes from what kind of ingredient it is (its chemical class, charge and solubility) or from where it sits on the labels we have.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry. Without one, we leave the row out rather than fill it in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-09-22. Product-page methodology: the product library.
