Cetearalkonium Bromide

Cetearalkonium Bromide molecular structure
molecular structure · PubChem
AKA: Quaternary Ammonium Salt
Plant-Derived
Preservative
Plant Oil
Not Clean
Benzenemethanaminium, N,N-dimethyl-N-(C16-18-alkyl)-, bromide
Functions
Antimicrobial
Keeps your product from growing bacteria, mold, or yeast. Without these, that jar of cream becomes a petri dish in about a week.
Antistatic
Preservative
Keeps your product from growing bacteria, mold, or yeast. Without these, that jar of cream becomes a petri dish in about a week.
Fights Bacteria
Traditional Use
A synthetic quaternary ammonium salt developed in the mid-20th century for use as a conditioning and antistatic agent. Created to improve the performance of hair and skincare products with better substantivity than earlier surfactants.
EWG
3
CIR
Insufficient data
Pregnancy
Yes
CIR Safety Findings
all-shades-safe
Regulatory Status
USAunder review
EU✔ permitted
JAPAN✔ permitted
CANADA✔ permitted
Skin Types
●all-skin-types
Best For
General
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding Safe
Yes
The paper trail
🔬Peer-reviewed1 paper →
⚖️Regulatory1 listing →
🛡️Safety-assessed0 reviews
Counts, not a verdict. A listing isn't a study. The trail, you decide.
Verified Jun 2026
Data: CosIng · EWG · CIR