Polyquaternium-11
AKA “PQ-11, Polyquaternium-11”
Ingredient
Ingredient Facts
Polyquaternium-11
AKA: PQ-11
Ingredient · Film Forming · EWG: 1
Synthetic
Occlusive
Clean
2-Propenoic acid, 2-methyl-, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl ester, polymer with 1-ethenyl-2-pyrrolidinone, compd. with diethyl sulphate
CAS #
53633-54-8
Form
Powder
See origin →
Functions
Antistatic
Film Forming
Creates a physical seal on skin to lock moisture in and keep irritants out. The "slugging" ingredient — barrier protection.
Anti-Inflammatory
Moisturizing
Fights Acne
Creates protective layer
Reduces flyaways
Traditional Use
A synthetic cationic polymer developed for cosmetic use in the 1980s. Created to provide enhanced conditioning and styling benefits in haircare products with improved substantivity compared to earlier polyquaternium versions.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
General
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Polyquaternium-11
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
Re-evaluation - Not opened: Polyquaternium-11
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
Polyquaternium-11
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Polyquaternium-11
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Verified Jun 2026
Data: CosIng · EWG · CIR