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We populate our beauty cabinet with lots of skincare and hair care products. But have you ever take the pain to go through the list of ingredients of your personal care products to know more about their formulation? It’s pretty interesting to know that there are some common ingredients which are used diligently in our skincare and hair care products, as they are equally effective for both our skin and hair. When you scroll through the list of ingredients in your personal care products, I am sure you might have come across the word Polyquaternium 7. Today in this article we are going to shed more light on Polyquaternium 7, which is a key ingredient in many skincare and hair care products including its benefits and uses for both skin and hair. So let us get started.
What Is Polyquaternium 7?
Polyquaternium 7 is a colourless to pale yellow, clear liquid which is extensively used in skincare and haircare products due to its beneficial properties. Polyquaternium 7 is added to a wide range of beauty products. It is added to the ingredient’s list because of the conditioning effect it has on your skin and hair.
Polyquaternium 7 is considered to be an active ingredient in many personal care products. It is a cationic conditioning agent which has a potential for moderate build up on the surface of your skin and hair. It is used in the personal care products to reduce the drying effect of the formulation on your skin, hair and acts as a conditioner making your skin and hair feel soft and smooth. Polyquaternium 7 is an excellent conditioning agent which provides a slip for wet-combing and is considered to be an excellent detangler. Moreover, it makes your skin soft, supple and your hair smooth, shiny.
Also Read : Ingredients In Depth - Polyquaternium 7
Role Of Polyquaternium 7 In Hair Care Products
Polyquaternium 7 which is a quaternary ammonium compound due to which it is referred to as ‘Quat’. Polyquaternium 7 is generally found in all the products which require surfactants like in shampoos, conditioners, hair dyes, hair colours, styling gels, mousses and hair sprays.
Polyquaternium 7 is considered to be an anti-static property and is known to form a thin coating on the surface of your strands, hence extensively used in a wide range of hair care products. This cationic conditioning agent is hydrophilic in nature due to which it absorbs moisture from the air, and this moisture is absorbed into the hair shaft, making your dry hair soft & manageable. It also prevents the buildup of static electricity, thereby preventing frizz.
Role Of Polyquaternium 7 In Skincare Products
Polyquaternium 7 is an excellent cationic, water-soluble conditioner for your skin. It helps to make your skin soft and smooth. Due to its hydrophilic property, Polyquaternium 7 can absorb moisture from the surrounding which gets absorbed into the skin and its film-forming ability, forms a thin film on the surface of the skin, thus preventing the loss of moisture. Due to these beneficial properties, Polyquaternium 7 is widely used in creams, lotions, moisturizers, body washes and shaving creams. Its emollient property improves the texture of your skin by conditioning it gently without making your skin oily.
Benefits Of Polyquaternium 7 In Skin Care And Hair Care Products
Polyquaternium 7 is a water-soluble cationic conditioning agent. It is a copolymer of acrylamide and dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride monomers. Due to its anti-static, film foaming and conditioning property, Polyquaternium 7 is used extensively in skincare, haircare and personal care products. Lets us have a look at some of the beneficial properties of Polyquaternium 7, which have made it a key ingredient in cosmetic and beauty products. It is especially beneficial in surfactant-based formulations such as shampoos, conditioners, mousses, hair sprays, creams, lotions and deodorants, etc. Let us closely look at the beneficial properties of Polyquaternium 7 in skincare and haircare.
1. Fixative
Polyquaternium 7 is generally used in hair fixatives and many of the hair styling products as it gives hold and stiffness to your hair even under humid conditions.
2. Film Formers
Polyquaternium 7 is known to form a film on the surface of your skin and strands and has a conditioning effect. In skincare products, it forms a thin film over the skin, forming a protective barrier on the skin and retaining its moisture level, thereby making your skin soft and supple.
In hair care products, Polyquaternium 7 is known to form a thin film over the strand that creates a hold in the product due to which it is used in making hair gels, mousses and setting lotions.
3. Thickeners And Stabilizers
Polyquaternium 7 is used as a thickener in many cosmetic formulations to increase the viscosity of the product. It gives a thick consistency to your skincare and haircare products. It is known to be compatible with most of the active ingredients of the formulation, thus providing stability to your skincare and hair care products.
4. Anti-static Agents
Polyquaternium 7 which is a cationic chemical compound prevents the buildup of static electricity in your strands, thereby decreasing the frizz and makes your dry hair more manageable. Hence, it is effectively used in many hair care products such as conditioners, styling gels, sprays, mousses and hair serums.
5. Conditioning Agent
Polyquaternium 7 has excellent conditioning properties due to which it is used in many skincare creams, moisturizers and lotions. Its conditioning properties make your skin exceptionally soft, smooth and hydrated without making it look greasy.
The intense conditioning properties of Polyquaternium 7 help to detangle your hair easily, make combing hassle-free and prevent hair breakage. It is extensively used in surfactant-based formulations such as shampoos, conditioners. It is an ideal choice for hair sprays and leave-in conditioners.
Also Read : How to Perfect the Art of Using Leave-In Conditioner
6. Emollients
The emollient property of Polyquaternium 7 is utilized in most of the skincare and haircare products such as bath products such as soaps, body washes, shower gels, body lotions, creams, moisturizers, conditioners, serums, hair sprays and mousses. It makes your skin soft and your hair smooth and shiny. It helps you to get rid of dryness in no time.
Due to the dynamic properties of Polyquaternium 7, it is primarily used in a wide range of beauty and personal care products. It is predominantly considered to be a conditioning and anti-static agent as well as a film former. Due to these incredible properties, it has made its own niche space in the beauty and cosmetic industry.
Uses Of Polyquaternium 7
Polyquaternium 7 is an organic compound which belongs to the polyquaternium class of chemicals which is widely used in beauty and personal care products because of its beneficial properties. It is hydrophilic in nature due to which it attracts moisture from the surrounding and helps to keep your skin, hair - soft, silky and hydrated. Polyquaternium 7 is used in creams, lotions, moisturizers, body washes, shower gels, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, serums, hair sprays, gels, mousses and deodorants, etc.
Polyquaternium 7 is effectively used in haircare, skincare, personal care because of its immense beneficial properties.
Side Effects Of Polyquaternium 7
Generally, Polyquaternium 7 is considered to be non-toxic and safe for topical application. The suggested concentration of Polyquaternium 7 in skincare and haircare formulation is 0.5-5%., above which it is considered to cause an allergic reaction on your body. According to a study, if the concentration of Polyquaternium 7 is below 5% in the formulation, then the amount of acrylamide is non-toxic in nature. Even if any allergic reaction occurs, it is very mild and subsides within 24 hours. Its antistatic properties are considered to be ideal for anhydrous use. Some people with hypersensitive skin or any other skin conditions have reported allergic contact dermatitis due to the presence of Polyquaternium 7 in skincare products.
Take Away
Polyquaternium 7 possesses amazing conditioning, film-forming and anti-static properties due to which it is used in a wide range of skincare, hair care and personal care products. This cationic organic compound is soluble in water and exhibits emollient, stabilizing properties. It gives a thick consistency to the product formulation and has the rich foam-forming ability as well which makes it an ideal choice to be used in the bath products and cleaning products. It is generally non-toxic and considered to be safe for topical use.
Also Read: Prevalence Of Polyquaternium - 10 in Skincare And Haircare
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