Database/Antistatic/Polyquaternium-9
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-9 natural?

No. Both the methacrylate backbone and the methylating/quaternising agent are petrochemical commodity chemicals; no natural fragment is present.

INCI namePolyquaternium-9
FunctionAntistatic · Film Forming
FeedstockPolyquaternium-9 is a homopolymer of petrochemical dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate,…

How we scored it

Homopolymer of dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate quaternised with bromomethane; acrylate backbone, amine and methyl cap are all petrochemical. 0/total = 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

Polyquaternium-9 is a homopolymer of petrochemical dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, quaternised with bromomethane. There is no natural-feedstock alternative in commercial production.

In plain English

A conditioning polymer that helps hair feel smooth and reduces static. It is built entirely from lab-made acrylate building blocks and has no plant or mineral origin.

CosIng definition: 2-Propenoic acid, 2-methyl-, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl ester, homopolymer, quaternary ammonium reaction products with bromomethane

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-9. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYQUATERNIUM-9. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-9