Is Stearalkonium Chloride safe in cosmetics?
Stearalkonium Chloride has a safety rating of "MODERATE" in our database. EU status: permitted. US status: permitted.
Moderate
Surfactant
Stearalkonium Chloride
Also known as: Dimethyloctadecylbenzylammonium chloride (N,N-Dimethyl-n-octadecylbenzenemethanaminium chloride), N,N-Dimethyl-N-octadecylbenzenemethanaminium chloride, Benzyl dimethyloctadecylammonium chloride, Dimethyloctadecylbenzyl ammonium chloride, Ammonyx 485 (+15 more)
INCI: STEARALKONIUM CHLORIDE
Stearalkonium Chloride (CAS 122-19-0) is a cosmetic surfactant functioning as Conditioning agent; antistatic; cationic surfactant. NOAEL 50 mg/kg bw/day (cross-referenced against ToxValDB ECHA IUCLID); EU Regulation 1223/2009 status: permitted, max 1–3%. Industrial safety data is also available in the chemical safety database. Same-CAS public records also appear in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data.
View industrial chemical safety profile for CAS 122-19-0 →
Auto-generated CPSR Part A draft with source citations
Cross-Vertical Regulatory Divergence
Stearalkonium Chloride is classified GHS Danger (H302, H314, H318, H312, H330) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics at max 1–3%.
Source: Cosmetics: ingredients.eu_status/eu_max; Chemicals: ghs_classifications.signal_word/hazard_statement_code
Function
Conditioning agent; antistatic; cationic surfactant
Safety Rating
MODERATE
Chemistry & Identifiers
IUPAC Name
benzyl-dimethyl-octadecylazanium chloride
InChIKey
SFVFIFLLYFPGHH-UHFFFAOYSA-M
Regulatory Status
EU EU Status
permitted
EU Max Conc.
1–3%
US US Status
permitted
US Notes
CIR assessed quaternary ammonium cationic surfactants as safe as used in rinse-off cosmetics. Cost-effective cationic conditioning agent. Incompatible with anionic surfactants. Used at 1–3% in conditioners and cream rinses.
For full compliance data across multiple jurisdictions, use the Substance Compliance tool.
Safety Data
Margin of Safety, dermal absorption, and sensitization profile summaries for Stearalkonium Chloride.
Calculate MoS for your specific formulation with the MoS Calculator.
Pre-Calculated Safety Assessment
Pre-calculated NOAEL → SED → MoS audit trail for Stearalkonium Chloride across SCCS product categories, with measured dermal absorption where available.
ECHA REACH Registration
European Chemicals Agency REACH dossier and Substances of Very High Concern listing.
Registration Type
Full
Tonnage Band
10 - 100 tonnes
Substance Type
SUBSTANCE
SVHC Candidate
No
Additional Ingredient Properties
8 property records from structured ingredient metadata.
concentration
{"min_concentration_pct": "0.5", "max_concentration_pct": "3.0", "typical_concentration_pct": "1.5", "product_type": "Leave-in Treatment", "function_at_concentration": "Conditioning", "source": "CIR Safety Assessment"}
ecotoxicity
{"biodegradable": "partial", "biodegradation_days": "90-180", "bioaccumulative": "yes", "aquatic_toxicity_level": "high", "coral_reef_safe": "no", "marine_toxicity": "toxic to aquatic organisms", "freshwater_toxicity": "bioaccumulative", "endocrine_disruptor": "no", "persistent_organic_pollutant": "yes", "microplastic": "no", "nano_particle": "no", "hawaii_banned": "no", "eu_restricted_environment…
emulsion_hlb
{"hlb_required_as_emulsifier": "yes", "emulsifier_type": "o_w", "critical_packing_parameter": "0.25-0.38", "emulsion_stabilization_mechanism": "electrostatic_repulsion", "co_emulsifier_pairs": "stearyl_alcohol,cetyl_alcohol", "optimal_oil_phase_pct": "5-15", "optimal_water_phase_pct": "85-95", "electrolyte_tolerance": "very_low", "pH_emulsion_stability_range": "3.0-7.5", "viscosity_building_contri…
ph_stability
{"optimal_ph_min": "4.0", "optimal_ph_max": "9.0", "stable_ph_min": "3.5", "stable_ph_max": "10.0", "degrades_above_ph": "11.0", "degrades_below_ph": "3.0", "ph_dependent_function": "Cationic conditioning agent", "formulation_note": "Hair care emulsifier", "source": "Formulation literature"}
regulatory
{"eu_status": "allowed", "us_status": "allowed"}
solubility_hlb
{"water_soluble": "partial", "oil_soluble": "yes", "hlb_value": "9.0", "soluble_in": "water, oils, ethanol", "insoluble_in": "glycerin", "log_p": "2.0", "melting_point_c": "150+", "appearance": "cream powder", "source": "Clariant"}
surfactant
{"cas_number": "122-19-0", "surfactant_type": "cationic", "chemical_class": "amine_oxide", "charge_at_use_ph": "positive", "cmc_critical_micelle_concentration_mm": "0.02186565047796168", "foam_volume_ml_ross_miles": "59", "foam_quality": "minimal", "foam_stability_5min_pct": "47", "cleansing_power_rating_1_to_10": "3.85845534667009", "oil_emulsification_capacity": "poor", "sebum_removal_efficiency…
uv_stability
{"uv_stable": "yes", "uv_degradation_rate": "stable", "photosensitizer": "no", "phototoxic": "no", "photoallergic": "no", "requires_uv_protection_packaging": "no", "color_change_uv": "no", "odor_change_uv": "no", "efficacy_loss_uv_pct": "0", "spf_contribution": "no", "uva_protection": "no", "uvb_protection": "no", "photostable_sunscreen": "no", "boost_spf_of_others": "no", "antioxidant_under_uv": …
PubChem Annotations
Safety and regulatory annotations from PubChem (NCBI) aggregated sources.
Safety (1)
Skin Eye Respiratory Irritation
CONTACT WITH CHEM IRRITATES EYES & SKIN & MAY DAMAGE EYES.
Source: Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB)
Function Categories & List Membership
Cosmetic/Chemical Function Categories
Anti-static agent
Preservative
Surfactant (surface active agent)
Expert Verdict
Expert safety assessment and concern-level summary for Stearalkonium Chloride.
Regulatory Flags
cationic
quat
conditioning
anionic-incompatible
rinse-off
economy-grade
Known Synonyms
Dimethyloctadecylbenzylammonium chloride (N,N-Dimethyl-n-octadecylbenzenemethanaminium chloride)
N,N-Dimethyl-N-octadecylbenzenemethanaminium chloride
Benzyl dimethyloctadecylammonium chloride
Dimethyloctadecylbenzyl ammonium chloride
Ammonyx 485
Ammonyx CA special
Arquad DM18B-90
Barquat SB-25
Carsoquat sdq-25
Carsoquat sdq-85
Dimethyl(N-octadecylphenylmethyl)ammonium chloride
EINECS 204-527-9
Intexan SB-85
Intexsan SB-85
NSC 20199
Tallow benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride
Triton X-40
Triton X-400
Dimethyl octadecyl benzyl ammonium chloride
UNII-0OUO26BB88
Chemical Function
Anti-static agent
Surfactant (surface active agent)
Preservative
Regulatory Lists
active_ingredient; Europe; Pesticides
inert_ingredient; non_food_use; Pesticides
Australian Status
AICIS status: listed
Cross-Vertical Safety Context
Same-CAS public records found in pharmaceutical data.
SOURCE
ChEMBL / DrugCentral / FAERS
DB_PHARMA CAS match
Pharmaceutical Data
Same-CAS rows from the pharmaceutical spoke database.
ChEMBL ID
CHEMBL118663
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Stearalkonium Chloride allowed in the EU?
Stearalkonium Chloride EU regulatory status: permitted. Maximum allowed concentration: 1–3%. This is based on EU Regulation 1223/2009 and its amendments.
What does Stearalkonium Chloride do in cosmetics?
Stearalkonium Chloride functions as: Conditioning agent; antistatic; cationic surfactant. It is classified as a Surfactant in our database. CAS number: 122-19-0.
Is Stearalkonium Chloride used outside cosmetics?
Stearalkonium Chloride also appears in industrial chemical safety and pharmaceutical data. The cross-vertical cards on this page render same-CAS public rows from the matched databases.
Does Stearalkonium Chloride have different safety status in cosmetics vs industrial chemicals?
Stearalkonium Chloride is classified GHS Danger (H302, H314, H318, H312, H330) in the chemicals database but is allowed in EU cosmetics at max 1–3%.
Compliance Tools
Check Stearalkonium Chloride compliance across multiple jurisdictions:
Ingredient Decoder
Paste a full ingredient list for instant analysis
82 Allergen Checker
Check for EU declarable fragrance allergens
Substance Compliance
Check compliance across multiple jurisdictions
MoS Calculator
Calculate Margin of Safety using SCCS methodology
Heavy Metal Limits
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