Thiol-ended non-ionic surfactants, used in combination with t-butyl hydroperoxide are components of a redox system able to initiate the emulsion polymerization of styrene, as well as control the molecular weight by transfer. Most of the surfactants remain as side products in the water phase, while multimodal molecular weight distributions of polymer are observed depending on the structure of the surfactant, the conversion of the monomer and the process used for feeding the reactor. The maximum incorporation yield of these reactive surfactants in the polymer is around 40%.