Definition
US FDA substance register · UNII 85474O1N9D · registered name CETALKONIUM CHLORIDE · single chemical substance
Cosmetic roles
Safety & regulatory references
- Restricted
- China · South Korea
Source: MFDS (Korea) cosmetic regulatory information
Argentina · Brazil
- Field of application and/or use : (a) care products rinse the hair with (b) Other products
- Maximum concentration permitted at final product : a) 3% (calculated as benzalkonium chloride) b) 0.1% (calculated as benzalkonium chloride)
- Other limitations and requirements : a.- In the finished product, the concentrations of chloride, bromide and saccharinate aliphatic chain with carbon atom number of 14 or less, should not exceed 0.1% (calculated as benzalkonium chloride).
- Use conditions and warnings that must appear on the label : to. and b. - Avoid contact with eyes
- Maximum concentration permitted at final product : 0.1% calculated as benzalkonium chloride
- Use conditions and warnings that must appear on the label : Avoid contact with eyes
ASEAN
- Field of application and/or use : (a) Rinse-off hair (head) care products (b) Other products
- Maximum authorised concentration in the finished cosmetic product : (a) 3% (as benzalkonium chloride) (b) 0.1% (as benzalkonium chloride)
- Other limitations and requirements : (a) In the final products the concentrations of benzalkonium chloride, bromide and saccharinate with an alkyl chain of C14, or less must not exceed 0.1% (as benzalkonium chloride) As a preservative, see Annex VI, Part 1, No.54
- Conditions of use and warning which must be printed on the labels : (a) Avoid contact with the eyes (b) Avoid contact with the eyes
European Union
- Product Type, body parts : Rinse-off hair (head) products
- Maximum concentration in ready for use preparation : 3% (as benzalkonium chloride)
- Other : In the final products the concentrations of benzalkonium chloride, bromide and saccharinate with an alkyl chain of C14, or less must not exceed 0.1% (as benzalkonium chloride) For purposes other than inhibiting the development of micro-organismes in the product. This purpose has to be apparent from the presentation of the product
- Wording of conditions of use and warnings : Avoid contact with the eyes
- Maximum concentration in ready for use preparation : 0.1% (as benzalkonium chloride)
- Wording of conditions of use and warnings : Avoid contact with eyes
Source: MFDS (Korea) cosmetic regulatory information
Restriction III/65 V/54
Source: EU CosIng ingredient list
More data — names, identifiers, properties, test records, literature
Official labels & definitions
JCIA labelling name セタルコニウムクロリド: 本品は、次の化学式で表される4級アンモニウム塩である。
Source: JCIA labelling names (Japan)
Names & identifiers
- CAS No.chemical registry number
- 122-18-9
- EC No.EU chemical inventory number
- 204-526-3
- DTXSIDUS EPA chemical ID
- DTXSID3041665
- DTXCIDUS EPA compound ID
- DTXCID1021665
- IUPAC
- N-Benzyl-N,N-dimethylhexadecan-1-aminium chloride
- Molecular formula
- C25H46ClN
- Molecular weight
- 396.1 g/mol
Measured properties
- Appearance
- Solid, [Merck Index] White powder, [Alfa Aesar MSDS] · solid
- Colour
- white
- Melting/freezing point
- 59 ℃
- Initial boiling point and range
- 584 ℃
- Vapour pressure
- 9.28E-11 ㎜Hg
- Water solubility
- 0.2147 ㎎/ℓ
- Vapour density
- 13.67241974456334
- n-Octanol/water partition coefficient (Kow)
- 4.89
Values measured on the substance itself. The KOSHA data are a reference for writing and reviewing safety data sheets, not a specification for a commercial raw material.
Source: PubChem · KOSHA safety data sheets (Korea)
What products actually use it for
What the 7 products reported to the US EPA with this ingredient use it for. Products outside cosmetics are included, so the top few rows are its main uses.
- Biocide3
- Preservative1
- Corrosion inhibitor1
- Surfactant (surface active agent)1
- Anti-static agent1
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Irritation and sensitisation studies
1 skin studies and 1 eye studies are on record.
The study conclusions largely agree (100%). These tests are on the raw material itself; irritation at the amount in a finished product is a different question.
See all 2 studies
- Category 6.3A (Category 2)
Skin Irritation · Read Across - Category 6.4A (Category 2A)
Eye Irritation · Read Across
Source: US EPA CompTox dashboard
Related literature
- Current approaches to the treatment of acute herpetic stomatitis in children: authors’ experience and a clinical case · 2026
- Influence of BAKs on Tear Film Lipid Layer: in vitro and in silico models. · 2023
- Peculiarities of the effect of various application adhesives in the complex of topical treatment of recurrent aphth of the oral cavity in patients on the background of clinical manifestations of classical and indirect hypersecretary diseases of the gastrointestinal tract · 2023
- Benefits of cetalkonium chloride cationic oil-in-water nanoemulsions for topical ophthalmic drug delivery · 2013
- Occupational allergic contact dermatitis from alkylammonium amidobenzoate. · 2001
Linked databases 18
- Australian Industrial Chemicals Inventory (AICIS)
- ChEBI
- ChEMBL
- EU CosIng ingredient list 2
- JCIA labelling names (Japan)
- Korea Cosmetic Association ingredient dictionary
- KOSHA safety data sheets (Korea)
- MFDS (Korea) cosmetic ingredient register 2
- MFDS (Korea) cosmetic regulatory information 2 3
- PubChem
- Tlooto literature search 2 3 4 5
- UniChem cross-reference IDs
- US EPA CompTox dashboard 2
- US EPA DSSTox chemical database
- US FDA substance registration (GSRS)
- US FDA Unique Ingredient Identifier (UNII)
- Wikidata
- Wikipedia · English