Database/Hair Conditioning/Polyquaternium-86
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-86 natural?

Mostly not. Vinylpyrrolidone, vinylimidazole, methacrylic acid and the methylvinylimidazolium cation are petrochemical monomers; only the ionic chloride counter-ion counts as mineral.

INCI namePolyquaternium-86
FunctionHair Conditioning · Hair Fixing
FeedstockDominant route is free-radical copolymerisation of petrochemical vinyl…

How we scored it

Monomers VP, vinylimidazole, methacrylic acid and methylvinylimidazolium cation are petrochemical. Only ionic chloride counts as mineral: assume 20% quaternised monomer by mass (144.6 Da, Cl 35.45): 0.20 x 0.245 = 0.05.
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

Dominant route is free-radical copolymerisation of petrochemical vinyl monomers, with the imidazole quaternised by a methyl chloride-type reagent to give the chloride salt. No natural-origin monomer route is in use; monomer ratios are not published.

In plain English

A water-soluble, positively charged polymer that coats hair to condition it and gives light hold and thickening. It is made by copolymerising vinylpyrrolidone, vinylimidazole, a quaternised vinylimidazole chloride and methacrylic acid, all petrochemical monomers.

CosIng definition: Polyquaternium-86 is the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt of vinylpyrrolidone, 1-methyl-3-vinylimidazoline chloride, vinylimidazole and methacrylic acid

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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-86. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYQUATERNIUM-86. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-86