Ingredient deep-dive

PVP (Polyvinylpyrrolidone): Is It a Microplastic?

Medium concernAcrylate / vinyl polymer

Synthetic polymer film-former, commonly in hairspray and brow gels.

Use the app

Scan any product for PVP (Polyvinylpyrrolidone) in 5 seconds

The MicroPlastics iOS app flags this ingredient and 24 others instantly. Paste a label into the free web ingredient checker first if you want a no-install scan.

Download on the App Store

PVP (Polyvinylpyrrolidone) — common questions

Is PVP (Polyvinylpyrrolidone) a microplastic?

Yes — it is classified as a synthetic polymer. Synthetic polymer film-former, commonly in hairspray and brow gels.

Related ingredients

Acrylates Copolymer

Acrylate / vinyl polymer · High concern

Synthetic film-forming plastic used widely in makeup, sunscreens, and hair fixatives.

Acrylates Crosspolymer

Acrylate / vinyl polymer · High concern

Cross-linked acrylic polymer thickener. Same plastic family as Acrylates Copolymer.

Carbomer

Acrylate / vinyl polymer · Medium concern

Cross-linked polyacrylic acid thickener. Synthetic polymer, though much smaller particles than microbeads.

Polyacrylate

Acrylate / vinyl polymer · Medium concern

Polymer thickener / absorbent. Plastic family used in absorbent gels and lotions.