What it is
The register’s chemical name for it: “Dimethylbis[2-[(1-oxooctadecyl)oxy]ethyl]ammonium chloride.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- DISTEAROYLETHYL DIMONIUM CHLORIDE
- CAS number
- 67846-68-8
- EC number
- 267-382-0
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Distearoylethyl Dimonium Chloride in any cosmetic, hair roles first. They say why a maker might add it, not what it does in one formula, and they aren’t a safety rating.
- Hair conditioning
-
The register’s hair role for ingredients that make hair feel softer, smoother or easier to comb. Most conditioners, masks and leave-ins list several.
Register definition: “Enhancing the appearance and feel of hair. Leaving the hair easy to comb, supple, soft and shiny and/or imparting volume, lightness, gloss, texture, etc.”
- Antistatic
-
Cuts the static that makes dry hair fly away. Many conditioning ingredients carry this role too, because both work at the hair’s surface.
Register definition: “Preventing and/or reducing static electricity by neutralising electrical charge on surfaces.”
Where it sits on each label
US labels list ingredients from most to least, except that those at 1% or less may follow in any order. A name near the top is a large part of the formula. A label doesn’t mark where the 1% point falls, so further down, the order says little about how much is in it.
- Shampoos 2 labels First five names: 0 of 2 Shampoos without it
- Rinse-out conditioners 2 labels First five names: 2 of 2 Rinse-out conditioners without it
- Deep conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Deep conditioners without it
- Leave-in conditioners 2 labels First five names: 0 of 2 Leave-in conditioners without it
Every label, product by product (7)
- Bouclème Curl Cleanser Shampoo 9th of 35 names
- Bouclème Fragrance Free Curl Cleanser Shampoo 7th of 18 names
- Bouclème Curl Conditioner Rinse-out conditioner 5th of 38 names
- Bouclème Fragrance Free Curl Conditioner Rinse-out conditioner 5th of 17 names
- Bouclème Intensive Moisture Treatment Deep conditioner 32nd of 50 names
- Bouclème Curl Cream Leave-in conditioner 9th of 38 names
- Bouclème Fragrance Free Curl Cream Leave-in conditioner 9th of 17 names
Each line runs from the first name on a label to the last; a dot is where this ingredient sits. Makers change formulas now and then; if the list on your bottle differs, go by your bottle.
Your next step
Other hair conditioning ingredients on these labels
- Glycerin 131 labels
- Panthenol 72 labels
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil 69 labels
- Behentrimonium Methosulfate 38 labels
- Caprylyl Glycol 37 labels
- Behentrimonium Chloride 34 labels
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine 34 labels
- Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil 34 labels
Updated · The name, numbers and uses come from the European Commission’s CosIng entry (CC BY 4.0); we write the uses in US spelling and put the hair ones first. The labels are each maker’s own. The order rule is the FDA’s Cosmetics Labeling Guide. All our sources are on the Sources page.