In one embodiment, the surfactant-polymer blend of the present invention comprises: (a) at least one amino acid surfactant and (b) at least one hydrophobically-modified polymer polymerized from a monomer mixture comprising: (i) an a,ß-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer (ii) an nonionic, co-polymerizable a,ß-ethylenically unsaturated monomer and (iii) an ethylenically unsaturated hydrophobically-modified associative monomer. In another embodiment, the surfactant-polymer blend of the present invention comprises: (a) at least one amino acid surfactant (b) at least one hydrophobically-modified polymer formed from a mixture comprising: (i) an a,ß-ethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer (ii) a nonionic, co-polymerizable a.ß-ethylenically unsaturated monomer and (iii) an ethylenically unsaturated hydrophobically-modified associative monomer and (c) at least one secondary thickener selected from an alkoxylated methyl glucose ether which has been esterified with a fatty acid.
