CosmeticBet
Conditioners

Polyquaternium-10

INCI: POLYQUATERNIUM-10 · also PQ-10

A positively charged cellulose for conditioning shampoos.

How common

All products3.8%
In shampoos26%
In shower gels11%
In conditioners6%

565 of 14,784 products with a full ingredient list in Open Beauty Facts; No. 76 of all the names found on their labels.

What it is

  • A cellulose-based polymer with positive charges (a quaternized hydroxyethyl cellulose).

    2 sourcesHide
    quaternized hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) polymers[1] Study · 2004 · open source
    their PQ-10 structural analogs[1] Study · 2004 · open source

Why it is in products

  • To condition hair from a shampoo: it is one of the standard conditioning polymers.

    2 sourcesHide
    Cationic polymers are the also used, such as polyquaternarium-10.[2] Study · 2015 · open source
    Commercial conditioning polymers: Polyquaternium-10 (PQ-10) (UCARE Polymer LR-30M)[1] Study · 2004 · open source

What it does

  • A study by a polymer maker (Amerchol, part of Dow) credits it with no build-up and no flattening of volume on hair.

    Some evidencehair2 sourcesHide
    they retained other good qualities of their PQ-10 structural analogs such as enabling crystal clear formulations and showing no build-up or volume-down effects on hair[1] Study · 2004 · open source
    Amerchol Corporation, A Subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company[1] Study · 2004 · open source

Where it works

Surface (cuticle)Inside (cortex)Core (medulla)

On the hair’s surface, like other cationic polymers.

Some evidenceSourceHide
the thickness of the adsorbed polymer layer on the hair surface[3] Study · 2021 · open source

Rules

European Union

  • No EU limit: it is not on the regulation’s lists of banned or restricted substances, preservatives or UV filters.

    How we checkedHide
    We searched Annexes II to VI of the EU regulation (consolidated text of 18 May 2026): no entry.open the list

United States

  • Not on the FDA’s list of prohibited or restricted cosmetic ingredients. In the US, cosmetics and their ingredients (other than colour additives) don’t need FDA approval before sale.

    SourceHide
    Under U.S. law, cosmetic products and ingredients, other than color additives, do not need FDA approval before they go on the market[4] US Food and Drug Administration · open source
    We searched the FDA’s list of prohibited and restricted cosmetic ingredients: no entry.open the list

Sources

  1. Effects of low-level hydrophobic substitution on conditioning properties of cationic cellulosic polymers in shampoo systems Drovetskaya TV et al., Journal of cosmetic science, 2004StudyAuthors include staff of Amerchol (Dow)
  2. Hair Cosmetics: An Overview International Journal of Trichology, 2015Study
  3. Investigation of the interactions of cationic guar with human hair by electrokinetic analysis McMullen RL et al., International journal of cosmetic science, 2021StudyAuthors include staff of Ashland
  4. Prohibited & Restricted Ingredients in Cosmetics | FDA US Food and Drug Administration

Checked against these sources on 4 November 2026. Spot a mistake? Tell us.