QUATERNIUM-15
Official label name (INCIInternational name of cosmetic ingredients: the one printed on the pack. name, EU glossary of cosmetic ingredient names), No 23836
- Prohibited in cosmetics (Annex II)
QUATERNIUM-15: Prohibited in cosmetics (Annex II, entry 1385), under Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009. Good to know: classified toxic for reproduction (category 2); hazardous to the aquatic environment. Annexes of the Regulation consulted on 21 October 2026.
Who it concerns
This ingredient is prohibited in cosmetics in the European Union: what follows describes its hazards, not a permitted use.
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
Worth watchingThe text sets a condition or flags a hazard worth knowing: allergen, suspected effect, condition for children, hazard to the aquatic environment.
Worth watchingThe text sets a condition or flags a hazard worth knowing: allergen, suspected effect, condition for children, hazard to the aquatic environment. Classified under the CLPEU regulation that classifies chemicals by their hazards (EC No 1272/2008). Regulation: reproductive toxicity, category 2 (Repr. 2), a hazard to the unborn child.
For a question about your own situation, ask your doctor, midwife or pharmacist.
Babies and children
The Cosmetics Regulation sets no age-related condition for this ingredient.
Skin, eyes and allergies
Worth watchingThe text sets a condition or flags a hazard worth knowing: allergen, suspected effect, condition for children, hazard to the aquatic environment.
Worth watchingThe text sets a condition or flags a hazard worth knowing: allergen, suspected effect, condition for children, hazard to the aquatic environment. Classified under the CLP Regulation: skin irritation, category 2 (Skin Irrit. 2); skin sensitisation, category 1 (Skin Sens. 1).
Environment
For informationOfficial information with no condition on a finished product: warning to read, irritation of the pure substance.
For informationOfficial information with no condition on a finished product: warning to read, irritation of the pure substance. Classified under the CLP Regulation: hazardous to the aquatic environment, long term, category 2 (Aquatic Chronic 2).
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.
Preservative: inhibits primarily the development of micro-organisms in cosmetics.
What the rules say
It is prohibited to use it in a cosmetic product sold in the European Union, whatever the dose. If it appears on the ingredient list of a recent product, this needs checking: the record may be old or wrong, or the product intended for another market.
Hazard and risk
The CLP Regulation classifies this substance as toxic for reproduction, category 2 (suspected effect, without enough evidence for a higher category).
This classification describes what the substance can cause (a hazard), not what happens when using a product (a risk): the risk depends on the dose, the form and the route of exposure (skin, inhalation, ingestion).
Already prohibited in cosmetics (Annex II).
The text of the annexes
Prohibited in cosmetics
CosIng links the name QUATERNIUM-15 to this Annex II entry.
- Entry
- Annex II, No 1385
- Substance
- Cis-1-(3-chloroallyl)-3,5,7- triaza-1-azoniaadamantane chloride (cis-CTAC)
- CAS
- 51229-78-8
- EC
- 426-020-3
Dates in the act (1)
- Entry into force on 12 June 2019
Excerpts from the English text published in the Official Journal. A date may concern only some substances of the act: the excerpt says so.
Prohibited in cosmetics
CosIng links the name QUATERNIUM-15 to this Annex II entry.
- Entry
- Annex II, No 1386
- Substance
- Cis-1-(3-chlorallyl)-3,5,7-triaza-1-azoniaadamantane chloride (cis-CTAC), quaternium-15
- CAS
- 51229-78-8
- EC
- 426-020-3
Dates in the act (1)
- Entry into force on 12 June 2019
Excerpts from the English text published in the Official Journal. A date may concern only some substances of the act: the excerpt says so.
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 II, entry 1385: introduced or replaced by Regulation (EU) 2019/831
Annex II, entry 1386: introduced or replaced by Regulation (EU) 2019/831
Annex II, entry 1385: applies from this date
Annex II, entry 1386: applies from this date
CLP classification “Repr. 2” applicable at the latest from this date (Regulation (EU) 2018/669)
- upcoming
Washington State: Prohibited
Identity
- CosIng identifier
- 37406
- CAS (according to CosIng)
- 4080-31-3, 51229-78-8
- EC (according to CosIng)
- 223-805-0, 426-020-3
- Declared functions
- Antimicrobial, Preservative
CosIng cites 2 CAS numbers for this name: it covers several substances.
Classified hazard (CLP Regulation)
The harmonised classification is the one set by the European Union for the whole Union. H codes refer to the hazard statements of Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.
cis-1-(3-chloroallyl)-3,5,7-triaza-1-azoniaadamantane chloride
Reproductive toxicity, category 2 (Repr. 2)
- Hazard classes
- Flammable solid, category 2 (Flam. Sol. 2)
Reproductive toxicity, category 2 (Repr. 2)
Acute toxicity, category 4 (Acute Tox. 4)
Skin irritation, category 2 (Skin Irrit. 2)
Skin sensitisation, category 1 (Skin Sens. 1)
Hazardous to the aquatic environment, long term, category 2 (Aquatic Chronic 2) - Hazard statements
- H228 H361d*** H302 H315 H317 H411
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 | Prohibited in cosmetics | not cited |
| United Kingdom | Prohibited in cosmetics | not cited |
| Switzerland | EU Regulation applies | not cited |
| United States (federal) | No federal rule recorded | not cited |
| Washington State | Prohibited | not cited |
| Japan | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| South Korea | Restricted differs from the EU | 0.2% |
| China | Prohibited | not cited |
| Australia | No entry in the lists recorded | not cited |
| Brazil | Prohibited | not cited |
United Kingdom (Great Britain)
- Prohibited in cosmetics (Annex II)
Same entries as in the European Union. Conditions (concentrations, warnings) may differ: they are not compared here.
Switzerland
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 applies in Switzerland (Article 54 of the Ordinance on Foodstuffs and Utility Articles).
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.
Washington State (United States)
- Prohibited: Quaternium-15
libérateur n° 4, from 1 January 2027. Prohibited when intentionally added; a retailer in the state may sell existing stock until January 1, 2028.
South Korea
- Restricted: 쿼터늄-15 (메텐아민 3-클로로알릴클로라이드) (QUATERNIUM-15)
별표 2, 보존제 성분 (preservatives), entry 39, page 9-10. Limit: 0.2%.
Conditions, source text, in Korean
화학물질명: 쿼터늄-15 (CAS No. 4080-31-3) | 화학물질명: 쿼터늄-15 (cis-form) (CAS No. 51229-78-8)
China
- Prohibited: 季铵盐-15 (quaternium-15（CAS No. 51229-78-8）)
表1 化妆品禁用原料目录 (prohibited substances, 2021年第74号), entry 1077, page 附件2 (.doc) table row 1077 ; TID reprint p.41.
Brazil
- Prohibited: cloreto de cis-1-(3-cloralil)-3,5,7-triaza-1-azoniaadamantano (cis-CTAC) (quaternium-15)
RDC 529/2021, Anexo (prohibited substances), entry 1402, page 48.
Conditions, source text, in Portuguese
N° UE: 1386
Recorded cosmetics that contain it
3 recorded products list it, according to Open Beauty Facts contributors. Records are dated: the formula may have changed. See the list (in French).
Glossary: Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/1175. Page updated on 21 October 2026.