Database/Hair Conditioning/Silicone Quaternium-16
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Silicone Quaternium-16 natural?

No. Silicone (siloxane) polymer is zero by this site's convention regardless of the quaternizing amine or C1-18 alkyl substituents present.

INCI nameSilicone Quaternium-16
FunctionHair Conditioning · Skin Conditioning
FeedstockManufactured by quaternising an amino-functional dimethicone polymer with…

How we scored it

Amino-functional silicone quaternized with variable C1-18 alkyl ammonium groups; siloxane backbone triggers 0.00 by this site's convention.
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

Manufactured by quaternising an amino-functional dimethicone polymer with variable-length alkyl chloride reagents (C1-18). No natural-origin route is used for the silicone backbone.

In plain English

A silicone-based conditioning ingredient used in hair and skin products for softness and smooth detangling. It is a variable-composition synthetic silicone, so it is treated as fully synthetic.

CosIng definition: Siloxanes and silicones, 3-(2-aminoethyl)amino-2-methylbutyl methyl, 3-(N-(3-(tri-C1-18-alkyl)ammonio)-2-hydroxypropyl-N-(2-(di(3-(tri-C1-18-alkyl)ammonio)-2-hydroxypropyl)aminoethyl)amino)-2-methylbutyl chlorides methyl, dimethyl, trimethylsilyl-terminated

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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. 2SILICONE QUATERNIUM-16. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  3. 3SILICONE QUATERNIUM-16. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=SILICONE%20QUATERNIUM-16