Polyquaternium-7 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a cationic conditioning polymer used to reduce static, improve wet combing, and leave a light film on hair or skin. It is common in shampoos, body washes, and conditioners because it deposits from rinse-off systems.
What does Polyquaternium-7 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a cationic conditioning polymer used to reduce static, improve wet combing, and leave a light film on hair or skin. It is common in shampoos, body washes, and conditioners because it deposits from rinse-off systems.
Is Polyquaternium-7 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it carries friction because it is a synthetic quaternary polymer rather than a simple biodegradable conditioning agent. Quality control matters because residual monomers from manufacture are typically monitored and limited by supplier specifications.
Is Polyquaternium-7 sustainable?
This material is typically petrochemical-derived and is not considered readily biodegradable. Its cationic polymer structure can bind to surfaces and wastewater solids, which raises environmental persistence concerns compared with simpler plant-derived conditioning ingredients.
Is Polyquaternium-7 COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards. Its synthetic origin, limited biodegradability, and quaternary polymer chemistry make it a weak fit with Green Chemistry preferences for renewable feedstocks and ready environmental breakdown.
How does Polyquaternium-7 work chemically?
The molecule is a high molecular weight, water-soluble cationic copolymer with amide groups and fixed quaternary ammonium sites that adsorb to negatively charged hair and skin surfaces. It is commonly used around 0.1 to 2% active in rinse-off hair and body formulas, performs across typical shampoo pH ranges, and can interact with anionic surfactants to influence clarity, viscosity, and deposition.
Last updated 2026-05-13