Database/Antistatic/Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Silk
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Silk natural?

Mostly. The hydrolysed silk peptide backbone is natural and the chloride is a mineral counter-ion. Only the hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium cap, built from epichlorohydrin and trimethylamine, is petrochemical.

INCI nameHydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Silk
FunctionAntistatic · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockSilk fibroin is hydrolysed into peptides, then reacted…

How we scored it

Assuming an 1100 Da silk peptide with one quaternary site: natural origin is the peptide (1100 Da) plus the chloride counter-ion (35.45 Da) = 1135.45 Da, against a petrochemical hydroxypropyltrimethylammonium cap (130 Da). Total 1265.45 Da, so 1135.45/1265.45 = 0.90.
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

Silk fibroin is hydrolysed into peptides, then reacted with glycidyltrimethylammonium chloride to add a permanent positive charge. The degree of substitution is not published, so one cap per 1100 Da of peptide was assumed.

In plain English

A hair-conditioning ingredient made from silk protein broken into smaller fragments and given a mild positive charge using a lab-made chemical group, which helps it stick to hair and add softness.

CosIng definition: Silk, hydrolyzed, N-(3-trimethylammonio-2-hydroxypropyl)-, chlorides

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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. 2HYDROXYPROPYLTRIMONIUM HYDROLYZED SILK. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3HYDROXYPROPYLTRIMONIUM HYDROLYZED SILK. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=HYDROXYPROPYLTRIMONIUM%20HYDROLYZED%20SILK