active
Cetrimonium Chloride
Quaternary ammonium conditioning agent used in haircare and dry shampoo formulations. Provides antistatic conditioning.
Benefits
- Antistatic conditioning agent
- Deposits protective film on hair surface
- Antimicrobial/preservative contribution at higher concentrations
- Stabilises emulsion systems
- Widely used in hair setting and conditioning formulas
Example uses
- Dry shampoo formulas
- Conditioning sprays
- Hair setting products
- Rinse-out conditioners
- Leave-on hair treatments
Mechanism of action
Positively charged head group electrostatically adsorbs to negatively charged damaged hair cuticle. C16 cetyl tail provides hydrophobic protective film reducing friction and static charge.
Clinical evidence · Moderate
Conditioning efficacy characterised in tribology studies. Safety assessed by SCCS.
Effective concentration range
0.1–1%
Formulation notes
Cationic — incompatible with anionic surfactants in same phase.
Watchouts
Potential aquatic toxicity at discharge concentrations. Some strict clean-beauty frameworks exclude quats.
Controversies & overclaims
Quaternary ammonium compounds face increasing regulatory scrutiny regarding aquatic ecotoxicity — underreported in clean-beauty ingredient communication.
Market positioning
Marketed as conditioning agent. Accurate for function. Quat-free positioning is justified on environmental grounds.
Comedogenicity
0 / 5
Sensitisation risk
Low
INCI & aliases
Cetrimonium Chloride
hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride · CTAC · cetyltrimethylammonium chloride
Clean beauty perception
Mixed in clean-beauty. Excluded from strict quat-free formulations.
Graph relationships
Timeline