Quaternium-15

Conclusion

In a 2010 amended safety assessment of quaternium-15, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel stated that this ingredient is safe as a cosmetic ingredient in the practices of use in this safety assessment at concentrations not to exceed 0.2%. ¹ The conclusion also stated that quaternium-15 is not a formaldehyde releaser. The Expert Panel reviewed newly available studies on quaternium-15 since that assessment. ^{2 –10}  While acknowledging the release of formaldehyde from quaternium-15, the Expert Panel confirmed that the ingredient is safe in the present practices of use and concentration and did not reopen this safety assessment.

Discussion

The Expert Panel reviewed new data on quaternium-15 because they were concerned about the evidence that indicated a potential release of formaldehyde. Because of improved detection methodology, published reports indicate that quaternium-15 is a formaldehyde releaser. ^{2 –10}

The Panel noted that because the use of quaternium-15 was restricted to 0.2% in cosmetic products, the amount of formaldehyde that could be released from a formulation with this amount of quaternium-15 would be 0.003% to 0.005% (300 and 500 ppm, respectively), which is well below the amount of formaldehyde currently allowed in a cosmetic formulation (0.2%).

The Expert Panel recognizes concerns about the potential release of formaldehyde with the use of quaternium-15 in aerosolized products, such as hair spray. However, at the current limit of quaternium-15 used in cosmetic formulation, the amount of formaldehyde which could be released in an aerosol is sufficiently low as to not present a safety concern.