Ingredient

POLYQUATERNIUM-10/PHOSPHORYLCHOLINE GLYCOL ACRYLATE COPOLYMER

Substance information

Substances with the designation "quaternium-..." or "polyquaternium-..." are complex quaternary ammonium compounds, ie all four hydrogen atoms of the ammonium cation are replaced by (frequently polymeric) organic residues. "Glycol" refers to divalent alcohol as alcoholic component of this ingredient (ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, butylene glycol, pentylene glycol, hexylene glycol and others). "Acrylate" or "acrylates" are polymers or copolymers based on acrylic acid and / or other alkyl acrylates (acrylic acid esters). "Copolymer" refers to a polymer composed of several different (mostly two) basic units (monomers).

Function(s) of this ingredient in cosmetic products

FILM FORMING

Produces a continuous film on skin, hair and / or nails

HAIR CONDITIONING

Leaves the hair easy to comb, supple, soft and shiny and / or imparts volume

HUMECTANT

Holds and retains moisture in cosmetic products

SKIN CONDITIONING - EMOLLIENT

Softens and smoothens the skin

Origin

(Information may exclusively reflect the status at initial entry of this ingredient into the relevant INCI dictionary; technological progress may have added new manufacturing options based on substances of different origin) synthetic

Occurrence in cosmetics

Nail care products, hair care products

Background information on use in cosmetics

The group of the polyquaternium polymers includes a broad range of chemically different polymers which all carry an ammonium compound as cationic functional group. They are preferentially used as film forming agents for hair, fingernails but also as a fixing agent and antistatic agent in haircare products.

Belongs to the following substance groups

Film-forming agents

Haircare substances / Conditioning agents

Humectants

Ingredients for skincare

Surfactants

Regulating cosmetics

Cosmetics Ingredients are subject to regulation. Please note, different regulations may apply to cosmetic ingredients outside the EU.

Understanding your cosmetics

How are cosmetics kept safe in Europe?

Strict laws make sure that cosmetics and personal care products sold in the European Union are safe for people to use. Companies, national and European regulatory authorities share the responsibility of keeping cosmetic products safe.

What should I know about endocrine disruptors?

Some ingredients used in cosmetic products have been claimed to be ‘endocrine disruptors’ because they have the potential to mimic some of the properties of our hormones. Just because something has the potential to mimic a hormone does not mean it will disrupt our endocrine system. Many substances, including natural ones, mimic hormones but very few, and these are mostly potent medicines, have ever been shown to cause disruption of the endocrine system. The rigorous product safety assessments by qualified, scientific experts that companies are legally obliged to carry out cover all potential risks, including potential endocrine disruption.

Are cosmetics tested on animals? No!

In the European Union, testing cosmetics on animals has been fully banned since 2013. Over the last 30 years, long before a ban was in place, the cosmetics and personal care industry has invested in research and development to pioneer alternatives to animal testing tools to assess the safety of cosmetics ingredients and products.

What about allergens in cosmetics?

Many substances, natural or man-made, have the potential to cause an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction occurs when a person’s immune system reacts to substances that are harmless to most people. A substance that causes an allergic reaction is called an allergen. Cosmetics and personal care products may contain ingredients that can be allergenic for some people. This does not mean that the product is not safe for others to use.

Database

Cosmetics matter to people and play an important role in our everyday life. On average European consumers use over seven different cosmetics daily. You too? It’s only natural that you want to know more about the ingredients in those products.

In the digital world we live in, there’s a deluge of information on cosmetics. However, it can be difficult to know which sources are reliable. COSMILE Europe is a European cosmetic ingredient database that offers reliable, verified and scientifically supported information on almost 30,000 ingredients used in cosmetics.

This database will help you understand why certain ingredients are in your cosmetic products; which properties they have and much more. The database is currently available in fourteen languages with more to come.

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