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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Polyquaternium-7 in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Polyquaternium-7 is a cosmetic ingredient that leaves a thin film on skin, hair or nails. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 712 products, most often bath and shower.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Polyquaternium-7 do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Polyquaternium-7 leaves a thin film on skin, hair or nails and reduces static, so hair stays flat. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: film forming and antistatic.

film formingantistatic

What is Polyquaternium-7?

Polyquaternium-7 is the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt of acrylamide and dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride.

CAS number
26590-05-6
CosIng reference
36882

Is Polyquaternium-7 restricted in the EU?

Yes, it has limits. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions of use, such as a maximum amount or a warning on the label (Annex III of Regulation 1223/2009, entry 66).

The annex entry sets the exact limits, the products it may be used in and any warning the label must carry.

Which products contain Polyquaternium-7?

Open Beauty Facts finds Polyquaternium-7 in the ingredient lists of 712 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often bath and shower, shower gels and shampoos.

  • Bath and shower170
  • Shower gels161
  • Shampoos79
  • Hair care52

Products with it, by country of sale: France 301 · United States 89 · Spain 62 · Germany 46.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Polyquaternium-7 turns up, not how much of the market it is.

On these listsRestricted in the EU

Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors

Sources

The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.

  1. European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
  2. Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
  3. EU Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (the annexes)

Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check

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