Database/Antistatic/Dicetyldimonium Chloride
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Dicetyldimonium Chloride natural?

Mostly. Two cetyl fatty chains and the chloride ion are natural; the central nitrogen and two methyl groups are treated as petrochemical.

INCI nameDicetyldimonium Chloride
CAS1812-53-9
FormulaC34H72ClN · 530.4 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Emulsifying Surfactant
FeedstockMade from two cetyl (C16) fatty chains, typically…

How we scored it

2x cetyl (C16 oleochemical, natural) 451 + Cl- (mineral, natural) 35 = 486; N (ammonia-derived) 14 + 2xCH3 (methylating agent, petrochemical) 30 = 44 -> 486/530 = 0.92
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: dicetylmethylamine + methyl chloride (SN2). Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Made from two cetyl (C16) fatty chains, typically from coconut or palm oil, joined to a quaternary nitrogen methylated with methyl chloride. The fatty chains dominate the molecular mass.

In plain English

A conditioning agent used in hair conditioners to soften and detangle. It's built from two coconut- or palm-derived fatty chains attached to a small synthetic quaternary ammonium group.

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 Asparagine 100% natural origin

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Structure

2D structure of Dicetyldimonium Chloride

dihexadecyl(dimethyl)azanium chloride

PubChem CID 15743 ↗

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. 2Dicetyldimonium Chloride. PubChem CID 15743. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3DICETYLDIMONIUM CHLORIDE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4DICETYLDIMONIUM CHLORIDE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DICETYLDIMONIUM%20CHLORIDE