How we scored it
Where it comes from
Produced by free-radical copolymerisation of petrochemical acrylamide-based monomers, including a quaternary ammonium and a sulfonate monomer. No natural or fermentation route exists for this synthetic conditioning polymer.
In plain English
A synthetic, positively-charged polymer built from petrochemical acrylamide building blocks. Used in hair and skin products to reduce static and help form a smooth, flexible film.
CosIng definition: Polyquaternium-43 is the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt formed from acrylamide, acrylamidopropyltrimonium chloride, 2-amidopropylacrylamide sulfonate, and DMAPA monomers
Natural alternatives with the same function
An extract of lemon aspen, an Australian native fruit, used to condition skin and hair and help hold…
Alanine 100% natural originAn amino acid used for skin and hair conditioning, part of skin's natural moisturising factor. Made by fermenting…
Arginine 100% natural originAn amino acid found in skin and hair proteins, used for conditioning and moisture-binding. Made by fermenting plant…
Asparagine 100% natural originAn amino acid made by fermenting plant sugars, similar to other food-fermentation processes. Helps condition hair and skin…
Aspartic Acid 100% natural originAn amino acid used for skin conditioning and moisture retention. Usually produced by fermentation or by an enzyme…
Capryloyl Hydrolyzed Collagen 100% natural originCollagen broken into small protein fragments and attached to caprylic acid, an eight-carbon fatty acid from coconut or…
References
- 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.
- 2POLYQUATERNIUM-43. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
- 3POLYQUATERNIUM-43. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-43