Database/Antistatic/Polyquaternium-48
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-48 natural?

No. Built entirely from methacrylate-class petrochemical monomers; no natural-origin fragment anywhere in the polymer backbone.

INCI namePolyquaternium-48
FunctionAntistatic · Film Forming
FeedstockProduced by radical copolymerization of synthetic methacrylate monomers…

How we scored it

All three monomers (methacryloyl ethyl betaine, HEMA, methacryloyl ethyl trimethylammonium chloride) are acrylate-family petrochemical building blocks → 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 copolymerization of synthetic methacrylate monomers (a betaine, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, and a quaternary ammonium type), all from petrochemical acrylic/methacrylic acid. No natural route exists.

In plain English

A synthetic film-forming polymer used in hair care to reduce static, help fix style, and leave hair feeling smoother.

CosIng definition: Polyquaternium-48 is the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt of formed from methacryloyl ethyl betaine, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and methacryloyl ethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride

Natural alternatives with the same function

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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-48. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYQUATERNIUM-48. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-48