Database/Antistatic/Polyquaternium-8
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-8 natural?

No. Methacrylate ester monomers and the dimethyl sulfate quaternizing agent are all petrochemical (acrylates); no natural fragment present.

INCI namePolyquaternium-8
FunctionAntistatic · Film Forming
FeedstockPolyquaternium-8 is made by free-radical copolymerization of dimethylaminoethyl…

How we scored it

Copolymer of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate quaternized with dimethyl sulfate; all monomers are synthetic acrylate/petrochemical chemicals.
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

Polyquaternium-8 is made by free-radical copolymerization of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate, then quaternizing with dimethyl sulfate — all petrochemical acrylate and sulfate-ester chemistry. No natural-origin fragment is present.

In plain English

A film-forming, antistatic polymer used in hair and skin products. It is built entirely from synthetic acrylate building blocks derived from petrochemicals.

CosIng definition: 2-propenoic acid, 2-methyl-, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl ester, polymer with methyl 2-methyl-2-propenoate, quaternised with dimethyl sulfate

Natural alternatives with the same function

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-8. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYQUATERNIUM-8. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-8