Database/Film Forming/Polyquaternium-87
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-87 natural?

No. All three monomers (vinylpyrrolidone, vinylimidazole, DADMAC) are petrochemical vinyl/allyl chemicals; no fragment of the polymer traces to a natural feedstock.

INCI namePolyquaternium-87
FunctionFilm Forming · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockPolyquaternium-87 is made by free-radical copolymerization of vinylpyrrolidone,…

How we scored it

Terpolymer of vinylpyrrolidone, vinylimidazole and diallyldimethylammonium chloride; all three vinyl/allyl monomers are synthetic petrochemical-derived with no natural fragment.
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-87 is made by free-radical copolymerization of vinylpyrrolidone, vinylimidazole and diallyldimethylammonium chloride, all synthesized from petrochemical acetylene/ethylene/allyl chloride feedstocks. No natural-origin fragment is present.

In plain English

A film-forming, hair-fixing polymer used in styling products. It is built entirely from synthetic, petroleum-derived building blocks with no plant or mineral content.

CosIng definition: Polyquaternium-87 is a the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt of vinylpyrrolidone, vinylimidazole and diallyldimethyl ammonium chloride

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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-87. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYQUATERNIUM-87. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-87