Database/Antistatic/Polyquaternium-46
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-46 natural?

No. Vinylcaprolactam, vinylpyrrolidone and the imidazolium quaternary monomer are all manufactured from petrochemical building blocks.

INCI namePolyquaternium-46
CAS174761-16-1
FormulaC21H34N4O6S · 470.6 Da
FunctionAntistatic · Film Forming
FeedstockProduced by radical polymerisation of three petroleum-derived vinyl…

How we scored it

Terpolymer of vinylcaprolactam, vinylpyrrolidone and methylvinylimidazolium methosulfate - all synthetic petrochemical vinyl monomers = 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

Produced by radical polymerisation of three petroleum-derived vinyl monomers. None of the monomers has a commercially significant natural-origin route.

In plain English

A synthetic styling polymer that forms a flexible film on hair, helping hold style and reduce static without feeling stiff or sticky.

CosIng definition: Polyquaternium-46 is a polymeric quaternary ammonium salt prepared by the reaction of vinylcaprolactam and vinylpyrrolidone with methylvinylimidazolium methosulfate

Natural alternatives with the same function

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Structure

2D structure of Polyquaternium-46

1-ethenylazepan-2-one;1-ethenyl-3-methylimidazol-3-ium;1-ethenylpyrrolidin-2-one;methyl sulfate

PubChem CID 177288 ↗

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-46. PubChem CID 177288. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3POLYQUATERNIUM-46. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4POLYQUATERNIUM-46. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-46