Cetrimoniumbromide ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a cationic surfactant used mainly as an antistatic and hair-conditioning agent. It helps reduce flyaway, improves wet combing, and can also support preservation in some formulas.
What does Cetrimoniumbromide do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a cationic surfactant used mainly as an antistatic and hair-conditioning agent. It helps reduce flyaway, improves wet combing, and can also support preservation in some formulas.
Is Cetrimoniumbromide clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it carries friction because it is a strongly cationic material with irritation potential, especially in leave-on or higher-dose use. It is also subject to regulatory concentration limits in cosmetics, which keeps it from being a broadly unproblematic choice.
Is Cetrimoniumbromide sustainable?
This material is synthetic and may be made from petrochemical and fatty-chain feedstocks. It is not a strong fit for low-impact formulations because cationic surfactants can adsorb to sludge and raise aquatic-toxicity concerns before full breakdown.
Is Cetrimoniumbromide COSMOS-approved?
It is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic ingredient principles for typical cosmetic use. Its synthetic quaternary structure, limited clean-standard acceptance, and environmental profile make it a weak fit with Green Chemistry priorities such as ready biodegradability and lower aquatic impact.
How does Cetrimoniumbromide work chemically?
The molecule is a permanently charged C16 quaternary ammonium salt, so it binds well to negatively charged hair and skin surfaces and is incompatible with many anionic surfactants or polymers. Use levels are typically low, often around 0.1% to 2% depending on product type and local limits, and performance is more deposition-driven than pH-dependent.
Last updated 2026-05-13