Quaternium-22 ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is a cationic conditioning and antistatic agent, mainly used in hair care to improve combability, reduce flyaways, and leave a smoother feel on fibers.
What does Quaternium-22 do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is a cationic conditioning and antistatic agent, mainly used in hair care to improve combability, reduce flyaways, and leave a smoother feel on fibers.
Is Quaternium-22 clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it has friction because it is a synthetic quaternary ammonium compound, a class often flagged for irritation potential at higher exposure and environmental profile questions. It is not one of the more naturally aligned conditioning agents used in stricter clean frameworks.
Is Quaternium-22 sustainable?
This material is typically synthetic and not a strong fit for renewable-feedstock positioning. Its permanent positive charge helps it bind to hair, but also means it can bind to sludge, sediment, and other negatively charged environmental surfaces after rinsing.
Is Quaternium-22 COSMOS-approved?
It is not aligned with COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards as a standard approved raw material category. From a Green Chemistry view, it has drawbacks around petrochemical-style synthesis, limited biodegradability confidence, and aquatic fate concerns typical of many cationic quats.
How does Quaternium-22 work chemically?
The molecule is a quaternary ammonium compound, so it carries a permanent cationic charge across normal cosmetic pH ranges and deposits readily onto negatively charged keratin. It is usually formulated at low active levels in rinse-off or conditioning systems, and compatibility is strongest with nonionic or amphoteric systems rather than anionic surfactant systems that can complex with it.
Last updated 2026-05-14