Database/Antistatic/Polyquaternium-4
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-4 natural?

Mostly. The cellulose backbone is plant-derived and the chloride counter-ion of the DADMAC comonomer is a mineral, so both count as natural origin. The hydroxyethyl ethers from ethylene oxide and the quaternary ammonium carbon skeleton are petrochemical.

INCI namePolyquaternium-4
CAS92183-41-0
FormulaC6H5NO2 · 123.11 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Film Forming
FeedstockWood or cotton cellulose is hydroxyethylated with ethylene…

How we scored it

Per anhydroglucose unit: cellulose 162 Da natural, plus hydroxyethyl groups at MS 1.5 (1.5 x 44.05 = 66 Da, petrochemical), plus about 16 Da of diallyldimethylammonium chloride comonomer, of which the chloride share (35.45/161.67 of 16 Da = 3.5 Da) is a mineral counter-ion. Natural 162 + 3.5 = 165.5 Da of 244 Da, so 165.5/244 = 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

Wood or cotton cellulose is hydroxyethylated with ethylene oxide, then copolymerised with diallyldimethylammonium chloride. Substitution levels are not published and were assumed typical.

In plain English

A cellulose-based conditioning polymer that reduces static and improves hair feel. Made from wood or cotton pulp chemically modified with synthetic building blocks to give it a permanent positive charge.

CosIng definition: Cellulose, 2-hydroxyethyl ether, polymer with N,N-dimethyl-N-(2-propenyl)-2-propenaminium chloride

Natural alternatives with the same function

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Structure

2D structure of Polyquaternium-4

3-isocyanato-2-methylfuran

PubChem CID 24229546 ↗

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-4. PubChem CID 24229546. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3POLYQUATERNIUM-4. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4POLYQUATERNIUM-4. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-4