Database/Antimicrobial/Polyquaternium-42
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-42 natural?

No. Ethylene oxide and synthetic quaternary amine chemistry build the entire polymer chain; no natural-origin fragment present.

INCI namePolyquaternium-42
FunctionAntimicrobial
FeedstockManufactured by reacting petrochemical ethylene oxide/dichloride derivatives with…

How we scored it

Ionene-type polymer of bis-quaternized ethylenediamine/ethylene oxide chain, dichloride salt; backbone entirely petrochemical (ethylene oxide route) → 0.0.
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

Manufactured by reacting petrochemical ethylene oxide/dichloride derivatives with dimethylamine to form a quaternary ionene polymer. No natural or fermentation route exists for this synthetic antimicrobial polymer.

In plain English

A synthetic, positively-charged polymer chain built from petrochemical ethylene-oxide and quaternary ammonium building blocks. Used for its antimicrobial properties in cosmetic and personal care formulations.

CosIng definition: Poly(oxy[1,2-ethanediylbis(dimethyliminio-1,2-ethanediyl)], dichloride)

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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. 2POLYQUATERNIUM-42. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYQUATERNIUM-42. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-42