Database/Hair Conditioning/Olealkonium Chloride
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Olealkonium Chloride natural?

Mostly. Oleyl chain from oleochemical fatty acid and the chloride counter-ion are natural; benzyl and dimethylamino groups derive from toluene and a methylating agent.

INCI nameOlealkonium Chloride
CAS37139-99-4
FormulaC27H48ClN · 422.1 Da
FunctionHair Conditioning
FeedstockThe oleyl (C18) chain is typically derived from…

How we scored it

Oleyl C18H35 (251.5, natural) + Cl (35.5, natural) = 286.9; benzyl C7H7 (91.1) + N(CH3)2 (44.1) petrochemical = 135.2; 286.9/422.1 = 0.68
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

The oleyl (C18) chain is typically derived from vegetable-oil oleic acid via fatty amine synthesis. The benzyl and dimethylamino groups come from benzyl chloride and a methylamine source, both petrochemical.

In plain English

A conditioning ingredient used in hair care to reduce static and improve combability. It is made by joining an oleic-acid-derived fatty chain to a benzyl-dimethylammonium group, forming a chloride salt.

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Structure

2D structure of Olealkonium Chloride

benzyl-dimethyl-[(Z)-octadec-9-enyl]azanium chloride

PubChem CID 6436635 ↗

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. 2Olealkonium Chloride. PubChem CID 6436635. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3OLEALKONIUM CHLORIDE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4OLEALKONIUM CHLORIDE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=OLEALKONIUM%20CHLORIDE