Database/Antimicrobial/Cetalkonium Chloride
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cetalkonium Chloride natural?

Mostly. The cetyl chain comes from natural fatty alcohol, but the benzyl group and methyl groups on nitrogen are petrochemical.

INCI nameCetalkonium Chloride
CAS122-18-9
FormulaC25H46ClN · 396.1 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial · Antistatic
FeedstockMade by reacting oleochemical cetyldimethylamine with petrochemical benzyl…

How we scored it

Cetyl chain (natural fatty alcohol) 225 Da + Cl 35 Da natural = 261 Da; benzyl (toluene-derived) 91 Da + N(CH3)2 core 44 Da petrochemical; 261/396=0.66.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Made by reacting oleochemical cetyldimethylamine with petrochemical benzyl chloride. No significant alternative route; nitrogen/methyl origin assumed petrochemical.

In plain English

A lab-made molecule combining a fatty alcohol chain with a petroleum-derived benzyl group and chloride. Used in mouthwashes and skincare for its antimicrobial and antistatic properties.

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Structure

2D structure of Cetalkonium Chloride

benzyl-hexadecyl-dimethylazanium chloride

PubChem CID 31202 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2Cetalkonium Chloride. PubChem CID 31202. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CETALKONIUM CHLORIDE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CETALKONIUM CHLORIDE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETALKONIUM%20CHLORIDE