Is cetrimonium chloride in hair treatments dangerous?

Hair care products irritate the scalp

Have you ever had your scalp irritated by hair care products used to style your hair? These days, there are a lot of hair care products available, not just shampoos and treatments.

• Out Bath Treatment
• Hair Mask
• Dry shampoo
• Hairspray for fixing bedhead
• Hair Oil

Hair care products are used to keep your hair beautiful. However, some people find that these products make their scalp red, itchy, and rough.

In fact, ingredients that improve the shine and manageability of hair can actually be a burden on the scalp. In this article, we will explain one such ingredient, "cetrimonium chloride."

What is Cetrimonium Chloride?

Cetrimonium chloride is a yellowish liquid that can also be in solid or paste form. It is found in hair care products, skin care products, and baby wipes .

While they're often chemically produced, some are naturally derived from vegetable oils, which means they may also be used in natural and organic shampoos and hair care products.

Related article: Why do organic cosmetics cause skin irritation?

Why is it used in hair care products?

Cetrimonium chloride is used in many hair care products as a preservative. However, it also has the effect of reducing static electricity in hair and moisturizing hair. It is also often used in hair treatments to make hair soft.

Safety of Cetrimonium Chloride

Cetrimonium chloride is also used in baby wipes. Does the fact that it can be used on newborn babies mean that it is highly safe?

In fact, that doesn't seem to be the case.

The EWG has rated cetrimonium chloride a safety rating of 6, which is a slightly higher risk. In addition to the risk of allergies, it has also been shown to be potentially irritating to the skin and eyes.

By the way, in Japan, there are regulations on the concentration of medicated cosmetics. If you follow these rules, you can use them safely, but how do they compare to Europe?

Concentration in Japanese medicated cosmetics

• Rinse-off hair care products such as shampoo and conditioner: up to 5%
• Leave-in cosmetics such as skin care products: up to 1%

EU Blend Concentration

• Rinse-off hair care products such as shampoo and conditioner: up to 2.5%
• Hair care products that do not need to be rinsed off, such as styling products and after-bath products: up to 1%
• Skin care and other leave-in cosmetics: up to 0.5%

As you can see, the EU has stricter standards than Japan . Furthermore, the total concentration of steartrimonium chloride must be kept within the above range.

Steartrimonium chloride is a similar ingredient to cetrimonium chloride. EWG evaluates it as having a higher risk than cetrimonium chloride . The EU has set limits on the combined concentration of both ingredients to help prevent allergic reactions .

In addition, the EU has stated that cetrimonium chloride can be used safely within the limits of these regulations. On the other hand, exceeding these limits may cause skin irritation.

I am a little worried about whether we can say with certainty that it is safe, since Japan's standards are more lenient than those in the EU.

Positive allergies to similar ingredients

One study showed that patients who had an allergic reaction to cetrimonium chloride also had a strong positive reaction to benzalkonium chloride .

Cetrimonium chloride has many ingredients with similar structures, so if you develop an allergy to one of them, you may also develop an allergy to other similar ingredients.

• Cetrimonium bromide
• Benzalkonium Chloride
• Steartrimonium Chloride
• Didecyldimonium chloride
• Cetylpyridinium chloride
• Benzethonium chloride

Both are found in a wide range of cosmetic products, including hair care products, and are sometimes used in hand sanitizers, where they have been identified as causing skin sensitivities.

If you suspect your skin may be reacting to any of them, it might be best to avoid them all together just to be safe.

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