Database/Antimicrobial/Cetrimonium Bromide
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Cetrimonium Bromide natural?

Mostly. The fatty C16 chain from oleochemical cetyl alcohol/amine is natural; the trimethylammonium head comes from ammonia and a methylating agent; bromide is a natural mineral ion.

INCI nameCetrimonium Bromide
CAS57-09-0
FormulaC19H42BrN · 364.4 Da
FunctionAntimicrobial · Antistatic
FeedstockThe cetyl chain derives from natural fatty alcohol…

How we scored it

C16H33 cetyl (225 Da, natural) + Br (80 Da, mineral) = 305 natural; N(CH3)3 (59 Da, from ammonia/methyl chloride, petrochemical); 305/364=0.84.
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.

How it’s made

Menshutkin quaternisation of cetyl dimethylamine with methyl bromide (SN2). Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

The cetyl chain derives from natural fatty alcohol or acid (e.g. coconut/palm), converted to a fatty amine and then exhaustively methylated with a petrochemical methylating agent to form the quaternary ammonium salt. Bromide is a mineral-derived counter-ion.

In plain English

A conditioning and antistatic ingredient used in hair care, made from a coconut- or palm-derived fatty chain attached to a small synthetic ammonium head group with a mineral bromide salt.

CosIng definition: Cetrimonium Bromide is a quaternary ammonium salt that conforms generally to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Cetrimonium Bromide

hexadecyl(trimethyl)azanium bromide

PubChem CID 5974 ↗

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. 2Cetrimonium Bromide. PubChem CID 5974. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CETRIMONIUM BROMIDE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CETRIMONIUM BROMIDE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CETRIMONIUM%20BROMIDE