Polyquaternium-47 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a conditioning and anti-static polymer used mainly in shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. It helps reduce combing force, improve slip, control flyaways, and leave a light film on hair.
What does Polyquaternium-47 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a conditioning and anti-static polymer used mainly in shampoos, conditioners, and styling products. It helps reduce combing force, improve slip, control flyaways, and leave a light film on hair.
Is Polyquaternium-47 clean?
From a clean-beauty lens, it has more friction than simple plant-derived conditioners because it is a synthetic, permanently charged polymer. Skin irritation is generally low at cosmetic use levels, but some standards scrutinize this class for persistence and wastewater concerns.
Is Polyquaternium-47 sustainable?
This material is petrochemical-derived and not readily biodegradable in the way simple fatty alcohols, sugars, or plant oils often are. Its positive charge can make it bind to sludge and sediments after rinse-off use, which raises environmental persistence concerns.
Is Polyquaternium-47 COSMOS-approved?
It is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic expectations for allowed cosmetic ingredients. From a Green Chemistry perspective, it scores poorly on renewable sourcing and end-of-life biodegradability, even though it can be effective at low use levels.
How does Polyquaternium-47 work chemically?
The molecule is a synthetic water-soluble polymer with permanent positive charges and additional polar groups, which helps it deposit onto negatively charged hair surfaces. It is typically used at low levels in rinse-off and leave-on hair formulas, and performance depends on surfactant system, salt level, pH, and charge balance.
Last updated 2026-05-13