February 16, 2022 by Martina Naumann Categories: CosmeticsPolyquaternium was intended to replace silicone, but the ingredient is not free from side effects.You can read here what problems arise from this and what alternatives to Polyquaternium there are.Polyquaternium is an artificial ingredient.Similar to silicone, you can often find it in hair care products.The two ingredients also have similarities in terms of their chemical properties.However, they differ in the basic materials.Polyquaternium is made from ammonium, an ammonia compound.Silicones, on the other hand, build on the mineral silicon.The name Polyquaternium stands for a group of polymers that can be distinguished by adding a number.For example, hair care products often contain polyquaternium-7 or -10.Compounds with the digits -45 to -47 can also occur in hairstyling products.Some hairspray contains polyquaternium-6 or -22 and -39.For example, you may encounter Polyquaternium-2 in facial care products.These chemical designations are identical to the INCI names under which the ingredients of cosmetic products are listed on the packaging.Just like packaged food, cosmetics must also state which ingredients are in them.INCI, the "International Nomenclature of Cosmetic...The chemistry portal describes polyquaternium as a group of substances that form a film.Polyquaternium molecules are electrically charged.They basically attach themselves to the hair or the skin.This leads to the following desired effects:Frizz hair not only literally makes your hair stand on end.Luckily, there are some natural tips and remedies…The undesirable side effect of polyquaternium is that it is difficult to wash out.If you don’t want to burden your hair with unnecessary chemicals, it’s best to use organic shampoo without silicone – for example from…Artificially produced polymers such as polyquaternium are repeatedly suspected of being harmful to health and the environment.Finding clear evidence for or against such a suspicion is usually difficult - especially since there are so many different variants of Polyquaternium (number suffixes).Researchers are always faced with the challenge of testing all conceivable effects of certain substances on the complex relationships in nature.Sometimes, however, the current methods cannot map all the effects of the substances on the human body or the ecosystem.This then leads to apparently contradictory assessments.Some studies conclude that there are no health risks for the variants of Polyquaternium studied.The tests found neither skin irritations nor other damage to the organism.Variants studied include:Polyquaternium-7: A risk assessment by the CIR also sees no risk here.According to the experts, possible acrylamide residues do not pose a health risk either.In foods such as crisps or fries, acrylamide is suspected of being carcinogenic.The Federal Office for Risk Assessment (BfR) does not share this assessment.The BfR considers the possible residues of acrylamide in Polyquaternium-7 to be of concern.The agency therefore recommends setting limit values ​​for polyquaternium in cosmetic products.There are only legal requirements for polyacrylamide.A study by the Fraunhofer Institute also points to the problem with test methods.The institute criticizes that the standard tests on fish are not meaningful for the entire ecosystem of water bodies.A substance can still be harmless for fish, but already extremely toxic for microorganisms.In the study, the institute also advocates treating polymers in general like microplastics.The experts are calling for a new definition that includes both microplastics in the form of solid particles and polymers in liquids.The synthetic polymers can certainly create comparable environmental problems.Like microplastics, they are only very slowly or not at all degradable.Their residues are thus deposited in the environment and thus further increase the problem of artificially produced substances in ecosystems.For example, polyquaternium can get into the sewage system with the shower water.From there the path leads via rivers to the seas and thus into the water cycle.With artificial ingredients like Polyquaternium, the downsides outweigh the initial benefits.Öko-Test also sees polyquaternium as unsuitable for replacing silicone and counts polyquaternium among the unwanted ingredients.The Öko-Test for silicone-free shampoos complained about products that contained polyquaternium, among other things.Natural cosmetics offer a wide selection of real alternatives, also for hair care.With certified natural cosmetics you can be sure that there are no artificial ingredients.You can buy them in drugstores or organic markets, for example.Dry hair can be unruly - but you can tame your hair with a few home remedies from the kitchen cupboard.With cream quark…You also have these natural alternatives to get shiny hair:Long, healthy and shiny hair – a symbol of beauty for many.We'll show you how to style your hair without chemicals...Do you like this post?Tags: how to hair ingredients