Polyquaternium-22. 503-0 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a conditioning polymer and film-former, used mainly in hair care to improve wet combing, reduce static, and leave a light deposited feel on hair fibers.
What does Polyquaternium-22. 503-0 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a conditioning polymer and film-former, used mainly in hair care to improve wet combing, reduce static, and leave a light deposited feel on hair fibers.
Is Polyquaternium-22. 503-0 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it is a synthetic cationic polymer with generally low direct irritation at typical use levels, but it can create clean-standard friction because many frameworks scrutinize persistent synthetic polymers.
Is Polyquaternium-22. 503-0 sustainable?
This material is synthetically produced from petrochemical-derived monomers and is not considered readily biodegradable. Its water solubility helps rinse-off handling, but polymer persistence remains the main environmental concern.
Is Polyquaternium-22. 503-0 COSMOS-approved?
It is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because it is a synthetic petrochemical polymer. Its fit with Green Chemistry is limited by nonrenewable feedstocks and poor biodegradability, despite its high efficacy at low use levels.
How does Polyquaternium-22. 503-0 work chemically?
The molecule is a water-soluble amphoteric copolymer with both permanent positive charges and pH-responsive carboxylate groups, which helps it deposit on negatively charged hair surfaces. It is commonly used around 0.1% to 2% active in shampoos, conditioners, and styling products, and it is generally stable across the mildly acidic to neutral pH range typical of hair care.
Last updated 2026-05-15