Polyurethane-14 ●
TL;DR. It is a synthetic film-former used mainly in hair styling, color cosmetics, and long-wear products to create flexible hold, adhesion, and water resistance.
What does Polyurethane-14 do in a cosmetic formula?
It is a synthetic film-former used mainly in hair styling, color cosmetics, and long-wear products to create flexible hold, adhesion, and water resistance.
Is Polyurethane-14 clean?
Clean-beauty frameworks often flag it as a synthetic plastic polymer rather than for high irritation potential. The main friction is restricted-list treatment and microplastic-policy scrutiny when it is present as an insoluble film-forming resin.
Is Polyurethane-14 sustainable?
It is made from petrochemical feedstocks and is not considered readily biodegradable. In rinse-off use, polymer residues may add to persistent synthetic polymer load in wastewater, with removal depending on treatment systems.
Is Polyurethane-14 COSMOS-approved?
It is not permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards because it is a synthetic petrochemical polymer. Its Green Chemistry fit is weak due to non-renewable feedstocks, limited biodegradability, and end-of-life persistence.
How does Polyurethane-14 work chemically?
The molecule is a high-molecular-weight segmented polymer built with carbamate linkages, balancing rigid and flexible domains to form cohesive films as water or solvent evaporates. It is commonly used at low single-digit percentages in styling and long-wear formulas, with performance shaped by dispersion quality, neutralization, plasticizers, and co-film-formers more than by pH alone.
Last updated 2026-05-13