Polyquaternium-44 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a cationic conditioning polymer and film-former used mainly in hair care. It improves wet combing, reduces static, adds slip, and can support style retention.
What does Polyquaternium-44 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a cationic conditioning polymer and film-former used mainly in hair care. It improves wet combing, reduces static, adds slip, and can support style retention.
Is Polyquaternium-44 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it has friction with stricter standards because it is a synthetic, permanently charged conditioning polymer with limited biodegradability. Skin and eye irritation is usually low at normal use levels, but residue buildup and aquatic persistence are the main scrutiny points.
Is Polyquaternium-44 sustainable?
This material is typically made from petrochemical-derived monomers rather than renewable feedstocks. It is water soluble, but not readily biodegradable, and its charged polymer structure can bind to wastewater sludge rather than fully break down quickly.
Is Polyquaternium-44 COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS natural or organic standards. Its Green Chemistry fit is weak because of fossil-derived inputs, synthetic quaternization chemistry, and limited biodegradability, even though it can perform at low use levels.
How does Polyquaternium-44 work chemically?
The molecule is a cationic copolymer built from a lactam vinyl unit and a permanently charged imidazolium-type vinyl unit, which gives it strong substantivity to negatively charged hair keratin. Typical active use is roughly 0.1 to 2% in shampoos, conditioners, and styling products, and it is water soluble but can lose clarity or compatibility in strongly anionic-rich systems or high-electrolyte formulas.
Last updated 2026-05-13