CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE
Official label name (INCIInternational name of cosmetic ingredients: the one printed on the pack. name, EU glossary of cosmetic ingredient names), No 5951
- Allowed with restrictions (Annex III)
- Preservative allowed under conditions (Annex V)
CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE: Allowed with restrictions, with limits depending on the product type (Annex III, entry 286); preservative allowed under conditions, maximum 0.1% in the ready-for-use preparation (Annex V, entry 44), under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. Annexes of the Regulation consulted on 23 October 2026.
Who it concerns
What official classifications and rules say for each group. A classification describes the hazard of the pure substance, not the risk of a product that contains it, which depends on the dose and the exposure.
Prohibition or serious classificationThe text prohibits the substance for this use, or ranks it among the most serious hazards (known or presumed carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic, identified endocrine disruptor).Worth watchingThe text sets a condition or flags a hazard worth knowing: allergen, suspected effect, condition for children, hazard to the aquatic environment.For informationOfficial information with no condition on a finished product: warning to read, irritation of the pure substance.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
No classification harmonised by the European Union covers reproduction, the unborn child or breastfeeding for this substance. This does not mean it has been judged to have no effect during pregnancy.
Babies and children
The Cosmetics Regulation sets no age-related condition for this ingredient.
Skin, eyes and allergies
No harmonised classification for sensitisation, irritation or eye damage, and no obligation to label it as an allergen.
Environment
No harmonised classification as hazardous to the aquatic environment, and it is not on ECHAEuropean Chemicals Agency.'s Candidate List as an endocrine disruptor for the environment.
Read on the label
The Cosmetics Regulation requires no warning to be printed for this ingredient.
In plain words
What it is used for
Functions declared by manufacturers:
Antimicrobial: helps control the growth of micro-organisms on the skin.
Antistatic: reduces static electricity by neutralising electrical charge on a surface.
Emulsifying (surfactant): promotes the formation of intimate mixtures of non-miscible liquids by altering the interfacial tension.
Preservative: inhibits primarily the development of micro-organisms in cosmetics.
Functions declared in the CosIngThe European Commission's database of cosmetic ingredients. inventory. CosIng, inventory of cosmetic ingredients (INCI names, CAS, EC, functions), retrieved 21 October 2026.
Definitions of functions (decision repealed on 8 May 2020, cited for information). Decision 2006/257/EC, inventory of cosmetic ingredients (definitions of functions), retrieved 22 October 2026.
What the rules say
Allowed, with restrictions: Annex III sets a maximum concentration and the product types allowed. Ingredient lists do not give quantities, so the concentration cannot be checked on the label.
An ingredient can be used as a preservative only if it appears on the list of Annex V. CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE is on it with a maximum concentration.
CosIng, Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (restricted substances), retrieved 23 October 2026, source updated 13 October 2026.
CosIng, Annex V of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (allowed preservatives), retrieved 23 October 2026, source updated 13 October 2026.
Origin and odour
No natural occurrence recorded in Wikidata (LOTUS database); this does not prove that the ingredient is synthetic.
Basis: one CosIng CAS, with no natural occurrence recorded in this database.
Wikidata: names of substances in six languages and taxa in which they occur (largely from the LOTUS database), retrieved 23 October 2026.
Other names: chlorure de cetrimonium (French), Cetrimoniumchlorid (German), Cloruro di cetil-trimetilammonio (Italian), Cloreto de Cetrimônio, Cloreto de Cetil Trimetil Amônio, Quaternário de Amônio (Portuguese).
Wikidata: names of substances in six languages and taxa in which they occur (largely from the LOTUS database), retrieved 23 October 2026.
Present in 2.5% of recorded cosmetics (533 out of 21 054), mainly: hair conditioners, shampoos, hair masks.
Open Beauty Facts, export of cosmetic products, retrieved 23 October 2026.
Data “Open Beauty Facts and its contributors”, licensed under ODbL 1.0 (opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0); derived table distributed under the same licence.
The text of the annexes
Allowed with restrictions
This entry covers the same substance as CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (same CAS number in the CosIng inventory): its conditions apply.
| Product type | Maximum concentration |
|---|---|
| (a) Rinse-off hair products | 2.5% for the individual concentrarions or the sum of the individual concentrations of cetrimonium chloride and streartrimonium chloride |
| (b) Leave-on hair products | 1.0% for the individual concentrarions or the sum of the individual concentrations of cetrimonium chloride and streartrimonium chloride |
| (c) Leave-on face products | 0.5% for the individual concentrarions or the sum of the individual concentrations of cetrimonium chloride and streartrimonium chloride |
- Other conditions
- For purposes other than inhibiting the development of microorganisms in the product. The purpose has to be apparent from the presentation of the product.
- Entry
- Annex III, No 286
- Substance
- C16-alkyltrimethylammonium chloride C18-alkyltrimethyammonium chloride
- Glossary names
- CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (1) / STRARTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (1)
- CAS
- 112-02-7
- EC
- 203-928-6
Dates in the act (1)
- Entry into force on 29 August 2014
Excerpts from the English text published in the Official Journal. A date may concern only some substances of the act: the excerpt says so.
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex III, entry 286. CosIng, Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (restricted substances), retrieved 23 October 2026, source updated 13 October 2026.
Entry from Regulation (EU) n° 866/2014, adopted on 8 August 2014.
Preservative allowed under conditions
This entry covers the same substance as CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (same CAS number in the CosIng inventory): its conditions apply.
- Maximum concentration
- 0.1%
- Entry
- Annex V, No 44
- Substance
- Alkyl (C12-C22) trimethyl ammonium bromide and chloride
- Glossary names
- BEHENTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (1) / CETRIMONIUM BROMIDE / CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (2)/ LAURTRIMONIUM BROMIDE / LAURTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE / STEARTRIMONIUM BROMIDE / STEARTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (2)
- CAS
- 17301-53-0 / 57-09-0 / 112-02-7 / 1119-94-4 / 112-00-5 / 1120-02-1 / 112-03-8
- EC
- 241-327-0 / 200-311-3 / 203-928-6 / 214-290-3 / 203-927-0 / 214-294-5 / 203-929-1
Dates in the act (1)
- Entry into force on 29 August 2014
Excerpts from the English text published in the Official Journal. A date may concern only some substances of the act: the excerpt says so.
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex V, entry 44. CosIng, Annex V of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (allowed preservatives), retrieved 23 October 2026, source updated 13 October 2026.
Entry from Regulation (EU) n° 866/2014, adopted on 8 August 2014.
SCCSEU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety: it assesses cosmetic ingredients. opinions cited: Opinion on Alkyl (C16, C18, C22) trimethylammonium chloride - For other uses than as a preservative; Opinion on Alkyl (C16, C18, C22) trimethylammonium chloride - For other uses than as a preservative; Opinion on Alkyl (C16, C18, C22) trimethylammonium chloride - For other uses than as a preservative.
What has changed, and what will change
Dates of the texts that cover this ingredient. A text date may cover several substances: the details of each entry are below.
Annex III, entry 286: introduced or replaced by Regulation (EU) n° 866/2014
Annex V, entry 44: introduced or replaced by Regulation (EU) n° 866/2014
Annex III, entry 286: applies from this date
Annex V, entry 44: applies from this date
Identity
- CosIng identifier
- 32590
- CAS (according to CosIng)
- 112-02-7
- EC (according to CosIng)
- 203-928-6
- Declared functions
- Antimicrobial, Antistatic, Surfactant: emulsifying, Preservative
- Wikidata
- Q1061007
- ECHA InfoCard
- 100.003.571
- InChIKey
- WOWHHFRSBJGXCM-UHFFFAOYSA-M
CosIng inventory. CosIng, inventory of cosmetic ingredients (INCI names, CAS, EC, functions), retrieved 21 October 2026.
Wikidata, items with a CosIng identifier (P3073), retrieved 22 October 2026.
Wikidata, PubChem and ECHA links are published only when verified: same CosIng identifier, a single item, matching CAS number.
Elsewhere in the world
Information on other jurisdictions, with no effect on sale in France. What is covered, and what is not yet.
Comparison between countries
Most restrictive status in each country, and the maximum concentration cited. The details and the source of each rule follow.
| Country | Rule | Maximum concentration cited |
|---|---|---|
| European Union | Allowed with restrictions | 0.1 to 2.5% |
| United Kingdom | Allowed with restrictions | 0.1 to 2.5% |
| Switzerland | EU Regulation applies | 0.1 to 2.5% |
| United States (federal) | No federal rule recorded | not cited |
| Canada | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| Japan | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| South Korea | Restricted differs from the EU | 0.1 to 2.5% |
| China | Not on the prohibited lists recorded (lists of allowed substances are not recorded) | not cited |
| Australia | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| ASEAN | Restricted (conditions or maximum concentration) | 0.1 to 2.5% |
| Taiwan | Restricted (conditions or maximum concentration) | 0.1 to 2.5% |
| Brazil | Allowed under conditions | 0.1% |
United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Allowed with restrictions (Annex III)
- Preservative allowed under conditions (Annex V)
Same entries as in the European Union. Their maximum concentrations are compared in the “Comparison between countries” table; other conditions (product types, warnings) may differ.
Annexes II to VI in force. United Kingdom, Annexes II to VI of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as retained and amended, retrieved 21 October 2026.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Northern Ireland applies EU law.
Switzerland
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 applies in Switzerland (Article 54 of the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles).
Switzerland, FDHA Ordinance on Cosmetic Products (OCos, SR 817.023.31), consolidated version, retrieved 22 October 2026.
United States, federal rules
None of the integrated sections of the federal code (21 CFR 700.11 to 700.27 and 250.250) targets this name. The FDA does not publish a list of allowed ingredients.
United States, 21 CFR part 700 and section 250.250 (FDA rules on cosmetic ingredients), eCFR, retrieved 21 October 2026.
The eCFR is not an official legal edition of the Code of Federal Regulations.
South Korea
- Restricted: 알킬(C12-C22)트리메칠암모늄 브로마이드 및 클로라이드(브롬화세트리모늄포함)
별표 2, 보존제 성분 (preservatives), entry 31, page 7-8. Limit: 두발용 제품류를 제외한 화장품에 0.1%.
Conditions, source text, in Korean
화학물질명: 베헨트라이모늄클로라이드([?][?][?]) (CAS No. 17301-53-0) | 화학물질명: 미르트라이모늄브로마이드([?][?][?]) (CAS No. 1119-97-7) | 화학물질명: 세트리모늄브로마이드 ([?][?][?]) (CAS No. 57-09-0) | 화학물질명: 세트리모늄클로라이드 ([?][?][?]) (CAS No. 112-02-7) | 화학물질명: 세테아트라이모늄클로라이드 ([?][?][?]-[?][?][?]) (CAS No. 68002-62-0) | 화학물질명: 소이트라이모늄클로라이드([?][?][?]-[?][?][?]) (CAS No. 61790-41-8) | 화학물질명: 스테아트라이모늄브로마이드 ([?][?][?]) (CAS No. 1120-02-1) | 화학물질명: 스테아트라이모늄클로라이드 ([?][?][?]) (CAS No. 112-03-8) | 화학물질명: 탈로우트라이모늄클로라이드 (CAS No. 8030-78-2) | 화학물질명: 하이드로제네이티드팜트라이모늄클로라이드 | 화학물질명: 라우트라이모늄클로라이드([?][?][?]) (CAS No. 112-00-5) | 화학물질명: 라우트라이모늄브로마이드([?][?][?]) (CAS No. 1119-94-4) | 화학물질명: 하이드로제네이티드탈로우트라이모늄클로라이드 (CAS No. 61788-78-1) | 화학물질명: 코코트라이모늄클로라이드 (CAS No. 61789-18-2)
- Restricted: 세트리모늄 클로라이드,스테아트리모늄 클로라이드 (CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE)
별표 2, 기타 (other substances with limits), entry 39, page 34. Limit: (단일성분 또는 혼합사용의 합으로서) ․사용 후 씻어내는 두발용 제품류 및 두발용 염색용 제품류에 2.5% ․사용 후 씻어내지 않는 두발용 제품류 및 두발 염색용 제품류에 1.0%.
Conditions, source text, in Korean
화학물질명: 세트리모늄 클로라이드 (CAS No. 112-02-7) | 화학물질명: 스테아트라이모늄클로라이드 (CAS No. 112-03-8)
South Korea, MFDS Regulation on Safety Standards for Cosmetics, Notification 2026-19, retrieved 22 October 2026.
Source: 식품의약품안전처 (MFDS), 화장품 안전기준 등에 관한 규정, via law.go.kr; table formatted by the publisher of this site.
ASEAN (South-East Asia)
- Restricted (conditions or maximum concentration): C16-alkyltrimethylammonium chloride C18-alkyltrimethylammonium chloride Cetrimonium chloride Steartrimonium chloride
Annex III (restricted substances), entry 286, page 213. Limit: (a) 2.5% for the individual concentrations or the sum of the individual concentrations of cetrimonium chloride and steartrimonium chloride (b) 1.0% for the individual concentrations or the sum of the individual concentrations of cetrimonium chloride and steartrimonium chloride (c) 0.5% for the individual concentrations or the sum of the individual concentrations of cetrimonium chloride and steartrimonium chloride.
Conditions, source text
Field of application and/or use: (a) Rinse-off hair products (b) Leave-on hair products (c) Face products | Other limitations and requirements: For purposes other than inhibiting the development of micro- organisms in the product. The purpose has to be apparent from the presentation of the product. As a preservative, see Annex VI Part 1, No 44.
- Allowed preservative: Alkyl (C12-22) trimethyl ammonium bromide and chloride) (+) Behentrimonium chloride (11) (CAS No. 17301-53-0), cetrimonium bromide (CAS No. 57-09-0), cetrimonium chloride (12) (CAS No. 112-02-7), laurtrimonium bromide, (CAS No. 1119-94-4), laurtrimonium chloride (CAS No. 112-00-5), steartrimonium bromide (CAS No. 1120-02-1), steartrimonium chloride (12)
Annex VI (allowed preservatives), entry 44, page 276. Limit: 0.1%.
Conditions, source text
Note (11): For use other than as a preservative, see Annex III, No 287 | Note (12): For use other than as a preservative, see Annex III, No 286
ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, Annexes II, III, IV, VI and VII (version 2026-1 of 22 June 2026, Annex VII 2025-2), retrieved 24 October 2026.
Source: ASEAN Cosmetic Documents, Annexes of the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, as published by the Health Sciences Authority (HSA, Singapore); table extracted and formatted by the publisher of this site, with no endorsement by HSA or ASEAN.
Taiwan
- Restricted (conditions or maximum concentration): C16-alkyltrimethylammonium chloride 註/ C18-alkyltrimethylammonium chloride 註
化粧品成分使用限制表 (restricted substances). Limit: (a)2.5%(單一使用或混合使用cetrimonium chloride及steartrimonium chloride ) (b)1%(單一使用或混合使用cetrimonium chloride及steartrimonium chloride) (c)0.5%(單一使用或混合使用cetrimonium chloride及steartrimonium chloride).
Conditions, source text, in Chinese
INCI：Cetrimonium chloride ; Steartrimonium chloride | 產品類型／使用範圍：(a)立即沖洗之髮用產品 (b)非立即沖洗之髮用產品 (c)非立即沖洗之臉部產品
- Allowed preservative: Alkyl (C12-22) trimethyl ammonium bromide and chloride
化粧品防腐劑成分名稱及使用限制表 (allowed preservatives). Limit: 0.1%.
Conditions, source text, in Chinese
INCI：Behentrimonium chloride ; Cetrimonium bromide ; Cetrimonium chloride ; Laurtrimonium bromide ; Laurtrimonium chloroide ; Steartrimonium bromide ; Steartrimonium chloride
Taiwan, TFDA cosmetic ingredient tables (prohibited, restricted, preservatives, UV filters, colorants), open data, retrieved 24 October 2026.
Source: Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA), open datasets on data.gov.tw (Open Government Data License, version 1.0); table formatted by the publisher of this site.
Brazil
- Allowed under conditions: Brometo e Cloreto de Alquil (C12-C22) trimetilamônio (BEHENTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (*)/ CETRIMONIUM BROMIDE/ CETRIMONIUM CHLORIDE(*)/ LAURTRIMONIUM BROMIDE/ LAURTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE/ STEARTRIMONIUM BROMIDE/ STEARTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE (*))
RDC 528/2021, Anexo (allowed preservatives), entry 48, page 4. Limit: 0.1%.
Brazil, ANVISA resolutions RDC 529/2021, 528/2021, 600/2022 and 628/2022, retrieved 22 October 2026.
Source: ANVISA. Text of the adopted draft resolutions, as the Official Journal could not be accessed; the 2021 lists of prohibited substances and preservatives were compared with the copy of the published text distributed by the State of Paraná, the 2022 lists of UV filters and colorants were not.
Recorded cosmetics that contain it
533 recorded products list it, according to Open Beauty Facts contributors. Records are dated: the formula may have changed. See the list (in French).
Open Beauty Facts, export of cosmetic products, retrieved 23 October 2026.
Data “Open Beauty Facts and its contributors”, licensed under ODbL 1.0 (opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0); derived table distributed under the same licence.
Glossary: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175. Page updated on 23 October 2026.