Database/Antistatic/Polyquaternium-20
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-20 natural?

Mostly. The stearyl (natural) vinyl-ether fragment dominates mass; the vinyl group and glycidylamine crosslinker are petrochemical.

INCI namePolyquaternium-20
CAS110736-86-2
FunctionAntistatic · Film Forming
FeedstockCopolymer of octadecyl (stearyl, oleochemical) vinyl ether and…

How we scored it

Assumed 1:1 copolymer: octadecyl vinyl ether 296Da (natural octadecyloxy 269 + petrochem vinyl 27) + aminomethyloxirane 73Da (petrochem) → 269/369=0.73.
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

Copolymer of octadecyl (stearyl, oleochemical) vinyl ether and aminomethyloxirane, a petrochemical epichlorohydrin-derived amine. Exact comonomer ratio is not disclosed; a 1:1 molar repeat unit was assumed.

In plain English

A conditioning polymer used in hair and skin products to reduce static and help products spread evenly. Built from a fatty, coconut/palm-derived alcohol chain joined to synthetic building blocks.

CosIng definition: Ethenyl octadecyl ether, polymer with aminomethyloxirane

Natural alternatives with the same function

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