What it is
In the register’s words: “Laurtrimonium Chloride is the quaternary ammonium salt.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- LAURTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE
- CAS number
- 112-00-5
- EC number
- 203-927-0
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Laurtrimonium 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.
- 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.”
- Emulsifying surfactant
-
Lets oil and water mix into one cream or lotion and stay mixed. Conditioners and creams rely on them.
Register definition: “Helping suspensions or dispersions of liquids in a second liquid by reducing the surface tension of the substances to be emulsified.”
- Preservative
-
Stops bacteria, mold and yeast growing in the bottle. EU law allows only the preservatives on its own list for this role.
Register definition: “Exclusively or mainly intended to inhibit the development of micro-organisms in the cosmetic product. All authorised preservatives are substances in the positive list of Annex V to the Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009.”
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.
- Clarifying shampoos 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Clarifying shampoos without it
- Stylers 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Stylers without it
Every label, product by product (2)
- Ouidad Water Works Clarifying Shampoo Clarifying shampoo 15th of 33 names
- Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Fragrance & Protein Free Sculpting Gel Styler 8th of 12 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 antistatic ingredients on these labels
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride 48 labels
- Polyquaternium-10 30 labels
- Polyquaternium-37 17 labels
- Polyquaternium-7 12 labels
- Stearalkonium Chloride 9 labels
- Polyquaternium-11 7 labels
- Histidine 5 labels
- Cetearamidoethyldiethonium Succinoyl Hydrolyzed Pea Protein 4 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.