Database/Hair Conditioning/Polyquaternium-70
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-70 natural?

Mostly. Stearyl and dilinoleic (dimer) fatty-acid portions are natural; the EO/PO chains, adipic acid linker and methylsulfate quat cap are petrochemical.

INCI namePolyquaternium-70
FunctionHair Conditioning
FeedstockBuilt from oleochemical stearylamine and dimer (dilinoleic) fatty…

How we scored it

Stearylamine (natural fatty amine) + dilinoleic acid (natural dimer fatty acid) are the dominant-mass fragments; ethoxylation/propoxylation, adipic acid and methylsulfate quat cap are petrochemical (minor mass); estimated ≈0.6 (exact EO/PO level undisclosed).
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

Built from oleochemical stearylamine and dimer (dilinoleic) fatty acid, extended with petrochemical ethylene/propylene oxide and adipic acid, then quaternized with dimethyl sulfate. Exact ethoxylation level is not disclosed, so this is an estimate.

In plain English

A hair-conditioning polymer built from a fatty stearylamine base reacted with synthetic ethylene/propylene oxide chains and combined with natural dimer fatty acid, then quaternized.

CosIng definition: Polyquaternium-70 is the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt consisting of an ethoxylated, propoxylated stearyl amine condensed with adipic acid and dilinoleic acid and quaternized with dimethyl sulfate

Natural alternatives with the same function

Acacia Concinna Fruit Powder 100% natural origin

Shikakai fruit powder, made by drying and grinding the seed pods of the Acacia concinna plant. Traditionally used…

 Acronychia Acidula Fruit Extract 100% natural origin

An extract of lemon aspen, an Australian native fruit, used to condition skin and hair and help hold…

 Actinidia Chinensis Fruit 100% natural origin

Material from the kiwi fruit used to condition skin and hair, supplying fruit sugars, acids and vitamins. It…

 Adansonia Digitata Seed Oil 100% natural origin

An oil pressed from baobab tree seeds, used to nourish and condition skin and hair. It is harvested…

 Adansonia Grandidieri Seed Oil 100% natural origin

A nourishing oil pressed from the seeds of the Madagascar baobab tree. It's used to condition skin and…

 Agastache Rugosa Extract 100% natural origin

An extract of the whole Korean mint plant (Agastache rugosa), made by soaking the plant in a solvent…

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-70. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYQUATERNIUM-70. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-70