The invention relates to a method for producing low-odor, hydrogel-forming polymers based on acrylic acid. Said method comprises the following steps: a) a polymeric hydrogel is produced by radically polymerizing a monomer composition containing at least 50 percent by weight of acrylic acid in an aqueous polymerizing medium, and the hydrogel is transformed into a particle-shaped hydrogel or a powder forming a hydrogel; and optionally b) the particle-shaped hydrogel or the powder forming a hydrogel is treated with a crosslinking substance comprising at least two functional groups that are reactive towards the carboxyl groups of the polymer, optionally in a latent form. The inventive method is characterized by the fact that the acrylic acid used in step a) comprises a total amount of oligomers of less than 500 ppm, preferably no more than 400 ppm, and especially no more than 300 ppm, ppm referring to proportions by weight relative to the acrylic acid. Advantageously, the proportion of triacrylic acid (compound I in which x = 2) and higher oligomers of the acrylic acid amounts to less than 100 ppm, especially less than 50 ppm, and particularly less than 10 ppm.