Database/Film Forming/Polyquaternium-99
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Polyquaternium-99 natural?

Mostly not. All three methacrylate monomers derive from petrochemical acetone or isobutylene, alcohols and amines; only the ionic chloride counter-ion of the quaternary ammonium monomer is mineral.

INCI namePolyquaternium-99
FunctionFilm Forming
FeedstockDominant route: free-radical copolymerisation of butyl methacrylate, 2-ethoxyethyl…

How we scored it

Assume equimolar terpolymer: BMA 142 + ethoxyethyl methacrylate 158 + METAC 208 (cation 172 + ionic Cl 35) = 508 Da; methacrylates petrochemical; chloride mineral; 35/508 = 0.07.
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: free-radical copolymerisation of butyl methacrylate, 2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate and methacryloyloxyethyl trimethylammonium chloride, all petrochemical monomers. The monomer ratio is not published, so the chloride share is an assumption.

In plain English

A film-forming polymer that leaves a thin, flexible coat on hair or skin, used in styling products. It is built from methacrylate monomers made from petrochemicals, one of which carries a positive charge with a chloride counter-ion.

CosIng definition: Polyquaternium-99 is the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt formed from butyl methacrylate, 2-ethoxyethylmethacrylate and methacryloyloxyethyl trimethyl 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-99. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3POLYQUATERNIUM-99. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=POLYQUATERNIUM-99