In this study, secondary nucleation in emulsion polymerization of butyl acrylate (BA), styrene (St), and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), was investigated. Different molar ratios of BA and St were used. Average particle size, particle size distribution (PSD), polymerization kinetics, glass transition temperature (T g), and surface tension were monitored and compared. All synthetic latexes were prepared through seeded semi-batch emulsion polymerization process. Three different BA to St ratios (1:1, 1:2, 2:1) were combined with eight different HEMA contents (0, 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 mol%) in monomer composition, respectively. In the case of high HEMA content (10-40 mol%) it is found that secondary nucleation is mainly affected by HEMA. Secondary nucleation at low HEMA content (1-5 mol%) is dependent on the BA to St monomer ratio, and consequently a reflection of z-mer hydrophobicity.