| What is it? | Polyquaternium 7 is a water soluble cationic co-polymer. |
| INCI | Polyquaternium-7 |
| Appearance | Clear, very viscous liquid. |
| Usage rate | 0.2–5% |
| Texture | Silky smooth and very thick. |
| Scent | Nothing distinguishable |
| pH | 3–4.5 (I did find a few versions with pH values closer to 7; check with your supplier to confirm) |
| Charge | Positive/cationic |
| Solubility | Water |
| Why do we use it in formulations? | Polyquaternium 7 is conditioning, and it has an absolutely incredible skin and hair feel. I love it in my Foaming Shaving Cream for the most incredible slip and gorgeous rich feel. In hair products it gives substantivity without build-up and improves comb-through. It is advertised as having “very good compatibility with many anionic surfactants”, making it useful in body washes and shampoos. Generally speaking, it makes your projects feel divine and leaves skin and hair feeling silky smooth and conditioned without any hint of greasiness. It also functions as a film former, helping keep the skin and hair moisturized. |
| Do you need it? | No, but it is lovely. |
| Refined or unrefined? | Polyquaternium 7 only exists as a refined product. |
| Strengths | Polyquaternium 7 is an excellent conditioning ingredient with great skin feel—and it doesn’t smell fishy, like some alternatives. |
| Weaknesses | Can be a challenge to find abroad, not generally considered to be “natural”. |
| Alternatives & Substitutions | Honeyquat would be a decent alternative, but it does have a very distinct fishy smell that is widely considered to be unpleasant. I’ve had readers complain of honeyquat making products unusable due to the scent at 2%. Whatever you use as a substitute, it needs to be positively charged and water soluble as a bare minimum. |
| How to Work with It | Include Polyquaternium 7 in the cool down phase of your projects. |
| Storage & Shelf Life | Stored somewhere cool, dark, and dry, |
| Tips, Tricks, and Quirks | At 2% I find Polyquaternium 7 adds enough thickness to otherwise watery serums to make them too thick to mist! |
| Recommended starter amount | 30mL (1fl oz) |
| Where to Buy it | Buy it from an online DIY ingredient supplier or Amazon. |
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