Seeded emulsion polymerizations of styrene using the reactive surfactant sodium dodecyl ally sulfosuccinate (TREM LF-40) and its polymeric counterpart, poly(TREM), were carried out, and their reaction kinetics were compared to those obtained using the conventional surfactant sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). The reaction rate decreased using TREM LF-40 and poly(TREM), compared to SLS. For TREM LF-40, this behavior was attributed to the participation of TREM LF-40 as an allylic monomer in copolymerization and/or chain transfer reactions at the surface of the particles. For poly(TREM), the decrease was considered to be caused by the formation of a "hairy" adsorbed layer of the polymeric surfactant on the particles, which acts as a barrier decreasing the diffusion of the radicals into the particles. It was also found that the rate decreased with increasing TREM LF-40 concentration as expected, this being attributed to increased reaction at the surface of the particles with increasing surface coverage by the surfactant. However, over the range of poly(TREM) concentrations studied, no such trend was apparent, perhaps indicating a saturation of the effect of poly(TREM) on the entry of the radicals. These results were supported by the molecular weights of the resulting polymers. Compared to the latexes polymerized with SLS as the stabilizer, the polystyrene molecular weights of the latexes stabilized with TREM LF-40 were smaller. For poly(TREM), the resulting polystyrene molecular weights were larger than obtained for the SLS stabilized seed, considered to be consequence of a decrease in the entry rate of the radicals into the polymer particles.