Polyquaternium-7
AKA “Polyquaternium 7, PQ-7”
Ingredient
Ingredient Facts
Polyquaternium-7
AKA: Polyquaternium 7, PQ-7
Ingredient · Film Forming · EWG: 5
Synthetic
Occlusive
Not Clean
Polyquaternium-7 is the polymeric quaternary ammonium salt of acrylamide and dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride
CAS #
26590-05-6
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 quaternary ammonium polymer developed for cosmetic use as a conditioning and antistatic agent. Designed to improve hair manageability and provide protective film-forming properties.
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
General
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Polyquaternium-7
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel
International Journal of Toxicology
Polyquaternium-7
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Polyquaternium-73
European Commission
EU Cosmetic Ingredient Database (CosIng)
Polyquaternium-7
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Polyquaternium-73
Environmental Working Group (EWG)
EWG Skin Deep Cosmetics Database
Allergic contact dermatitis from laureth-9 and polyquaternium-7 in a skin-care product.
Gallo R, Basso M, Voltolini S, Guarrera M
Contact dermatitis, 2001
Verified Jun 2026
Data: CosIng · EWG · CIR