Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate is a synthetic polymer resin, a long-chain sulfonated polystyrene material that carries sodium ions. In skincare, formulators use it for texture control and film forming. It can help a formula feel smoother on skin and it can contribute to a brief “tight” sensorial feel after application. You’ll see it in products like Reviva’s DMAE Concentrate, where it sits alongside DMAE Bitartrate and other thickeners and film formers. It comes from industrial chemistry rather than a botanical source.

Manufacturers start with styrene-based building blocks and polymerize them into a polystyrene backbone. They then sulfonate the polymer and convert it to the sodium salt form. Safety reviewers often treat high–molecular weight styrene-based polymers as low systemic exposure materials because large polymer molecules do not absorb through skin in meaningful amounts. CIR’s assessment on styrene and vinyl-type styrene copolymers supports this view and concludes these polymers are safe in current cosmetic use and concentration patterns. EWG’s Skin Deep page for Sodium Polystyrene Sulfonate lists low concern for major hazard endpoints and does not place it on restricted or unacceptable lists. A separate safety angle focuses on regulatory and environmental classification, where some supplier documentation flags it as a synthetic polymer microparticle under EU REACH Annex XVII entry 78. Brands evaluate that point based on the grade, particle form, and solubility profile used, since those details drive how regulators categorize the material.