Database/Antistatic/Quaternium-79 Hydrolyzed Keratin
Mostly natural · ISO 16128

Is Quaternium-79 Hydrolyzed Keratin natural?

Mostly. Keratin peptide backbone and the long fatty (cetyl/oleyl) chain are natural; the hydroxypropyl-dimethylammonium linker is built from petrochemical epichlorohydrin and dimethylamine.

INCI nameQuaternium-79 Hydrolyzed Keratin
FunctionAntistatic · Hair Conditioning
FeedstockHydrolyzed keratin (natural protein from wool/feathers) is reacted…

How we scored it

Assumed DS~1/1000Da: natural keratin backbone(1000)+C16-18 fatty chain(~233)+Cl-(35)=1268 natural; petrochemical hydroxypropyl+dimethylammonium(~102). 1268/1370≈0.93.
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

Hydrolyzed keratin (natural protein from wool/feathers) is reacted with a fatty dimethylamine through a petrochemical epichlorohydrin-derived hydroxypropyl linker to give a cationic conditioning agent. Degree of substitution assumed low.

In plain English

A hair-conditioning ingredient made from keratin protein combined with a fatty, tallow-like chain and given a mild positive charge. Most of its mass comes from natural keratin and fatty acid.

CosIng definition: Keratin hydrolyzates, 2-hydroxy-3-(dimethylammonio)propyl derivatives, N-(hexadecyl, 9-(Z)-hexadecenyl and 9-(Z)-octadecenyl) derivatives, chlorides

Natural alternatives with the same function

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 Asparagine 100% natural origin

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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. 2QUATERNIUM-79 HYDROLYZED KERATIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3QUATERNIUM-79 HYDROLYZED KERATIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=QUATERNIUM-79%20HYDROLYZED%20KERATIN