Benzalkonium Chloride

AKA “pentonium, Alpagelle, Zephiran, Benzalkonii chloridum, Cloruro de benzalconio, Chlorure de benzalkonium, NSC-758480, CHEBI:3020, Fundamentals, Greenberry”

Preservative

Ingredient Facts

Benzalkonium chloride

AKA: Pentonium, Alpagelle, Zephiran, Benzalkonii chloridum, Cloruro de benzalconio, Chlorure de benzalkonium, NSC-758480, CHEBI:3020, Fundamentals, Greenberry

Preservative · Antimicrobial · EWG: 6

Synthetic

Preservative

Cleanser

Not Clean

Benzalkonium Chloride is a mixture of alkylbenzyldimethylammonium chlorides that conforms generally to the formula:

Solubility Very soluble in alcohol, acetone; slightly soluble in benzene; almost insoluble in ether

Formula

C22H40ClN

Mol. Weight

354.00

CAS #

63449-41-2, 68391-01-5, 68424-85-1, 85409-22-9

Form

Liquid

State

White or yellowish-white, amorphous powder or gelatinous pieces; [HSDB]

See origin →

Functions

Antimicrobial

Keeps your product from growing bacteria, mold, or yeast. Without these, that jar of cream becomes a petri dish in about a week.

Antistatic

Deodorant

Preservative

Keeps your product from growing bacteria, mold, or yeast. Without these, that jar of cream becomes a petri dish in about a week.

Dispersing

Fights Bacteria

Traditional Use

A quaternary ammonium compound synthesized in the early 20th century as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial preservative. Widely adopted by the cosmetics industry in the 1930s-1940s as a replacement for less stable natural preservatives.