What it is
In the register’s words: “Acetic acid ethenyl ester, polymer with 1-ethenyl-2-pyrrolidinone.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- VP/VA COPOLYMER
- CAS number
- 25086-89-9
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for VP/VA Copolymer in any cosmetic, hair roles first. They say why a maker might add it, not what it does in one formula, and they aren’t a safety rating.
- Hair fixing
-
Holds a style in place. Gels, foams and creams that promise hold list these near the top.
Register definition: “Permitting physical control of hair style.”
- Film forming
-
Leaves a thin, continuous film on the hair as it dries. Polymers in gels and foams carry it; the film is what feels like a cast.
Register definition: “Producing (upon application) a continuous film on the skin, hair or nails.”
- Binding
-
Holds powders or pressed products together. On a hair label it usually sits beside another listed use.
Register definition: “Providing adhesive properties during and after compression in cosmetic tablets and/or cakes.”
Where it sits on each label
US labels list ingredients from most to least, except that those at 1% or less may follow in any order. A name near the top is a large part of the formula. A label doesn’t mark where the 1% point falls, so further down, the order says little about how much is in it.
- Clarifying shampoos 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Clarifying shampoos without it
- Stylers 10 labels First five names: 8 of 10 Stylers without it
Every label, product by product (11)
- Ouidad Water Works Clarifying Shampoo Clarifying shampoo 10th of 33 names
- DevaCurl Ultra Defining Gel Styler 2nd of 22 names
- Giovanni L.A. Hold Styling Gel Styler 2nd of 22 names
- Bounce Curl Light Hold Creme Gel Styler 2nd of 20 names
- tgin Curl Bomb Moisturizing Styling Gel Styler 3rd of 27 names
- Jessicurl Confident Coils Styling Solution Styler 2nd of 13 names
- TRESemmé Bouncy Curls Defining Mousse Styler 4th of 20 names
- Bouclème Super Volumising Foam Styler 8th of 36 names
- Maui Moisture Flexible Hold + Coconut Milk Curl Foam Mousse Styler 4th of 16 names
- Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Fragrance & Protein Free Sculpting Gel Styler 3rd of 12 names
- Giovanni Curl Habit Curl Shaping Hair Gel Styler 18th of 21 names
Each line runs from the first name on a label to the last; a dot is where this ingredient sits. Makers change formulas now and then; if the list on your bottle differs, go by your bottle.
Your next step
Other hair fixing ingredients on these labels
- PVP 14 labels
- Polyquaternium-69 5 labels
- Chitosan 4 labels
- Acrylamidopropyltrimonium Chloride/Acrylamide Copolymer 2 labels
- Sodium Polyacrylate 2 labels
- Vp/Dimethylaminoethylmethacrylate Copolymer 2 labels
Updated · The name, numbers and uses come from the European Commission’s CosIng entry (CC BY 4.0); we write the uses in US spelling and put the hair ones first. The labels are each maker’s own. The order rule is the FDA’s Cosmetics Labeling Guide. All our sources are on the Sources page.