Polyquaternium-55 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a cationic film-forming and conditioning polymer used mainly in hair care. It helps improve combability, reduce static, add slip, and support styling hold by depositing a thin substantive film on hair fibers.
What does Polyquaternium-55 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a cationic film-forming and conditioning polymer used mainly in hair care. It helps improve combability, reduce static, add slip, and support styling hold by depositing a thin substantive film on hair fibers.
Is Polyquaternium-55 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, this material has friction because it is a synthetic, permanently charged polymer rather than a simple biodegradable conditioning agent. It is generally used at low levels and is not a common sensitizer, but polymer persistence and potential aquatic concerns keep it out of stricter clean frameworks.
Is Polyquaternium-55 sustainable?
This compound is typically petrochemical-derived and is not expected to be readily biodegradable. Its cationic charge can make it bind strongly to sludge, sediments, and negatively charged surfaces, which raises environmental persistence concerns compared with simpler plant-derived conditioners.
Is Polyquaternium-55 COSMOS-approved?
It is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because it is a synthetic cationic polymer outside the permitted natural-origin ingredient categories. From a Green Chemistry lens, the main drawbacks are nonrenewable feedstocks, limited biodegradability, and end-of-life persistence.
How does Polyquaternium-55 work chemically?
The molecule is a water-soluble polymer with fixed positive charge sites that adsorb onto negatively charged hair keratin, forming a thin conditioning and styling film. It is generally stable across typical shampoo and conditioner pH ranges, and performance depends strongly on charge density, polymer molecular weight, and compatibility with anionic surfactants.
Last updated 2026-05-13