To provide an aqueous polymer dispersion containing a higher level of a polyvalent metal cation useful as an ingredient in a leather treatment and a floor polish.

The aqueous composition comprises (a) at least one kind of aqueous polymer dispersion wherein the polymer is formed from a monomer mixture comprising one or more carboxylic acid functional monomers, (b) at least one kind of swelling agent and (c) at least one kind of polyvalent metal ion, and is formed by a process comprising the step of forming a premix of the aqueous polymer dispersion (a) with some or all of the swelling agent (b) wherein the ratio of equivalents of the polyvalent metal ions in the premix to equivalents of the carboxylic acid functional groups in the premix is 0.25 or less.