Precision manufactured chemical intermediates optimized for personal care, home care, and industrial formulations.
Cetrimonium Chloride, chemically known as Hexadecyltrimethylammonium Chloride (CAS No.: 112-02-7), is a quaternary ammonium salt that serves as a highly functional cationic surfactant. Owing to its long hydrophobic 16-carbon alkyl chain (cetyl chain) paired with a hydrophilic positively charged ammonium head group, it demonstrates exceptional substantivity toward negatively charged surfaces, such as keratinized proteins found in human hair and skin.
Science-Backed Performance: When applied in cosmetic formulations, the positively charged quaternary nitrogen molecule electrostatically binds to the damaged, negatively charged sites of the hair cuticle. This neutralizes static charge, aligns the hair shafts, decreases dry/wet combing resistance, and forms a microscopic, hydrophobic conditioning shield.
For R&D chemists, balancing the ratio of cationic surfactants with fatty alcohols (e.g., Cetyl Stearyl Alcohol) is paramount. This combination creates a lamellar gel network that stabilizes emulsions, controls viscosity, and facilitates the controlled deposition of active ingredients like silicones, proteins, and natural oils onto target surfaces.
| Parameters | 30% Aqueous Solution | 50% Alcohol/Water Blend |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical Name | Cetyl Trimethyl Ammonium Chloride (CTAC) | |
| Active Matter (%) | 29.0 - 31.0 | 49.0 - 51.0 |
| Free Amine Content (%) | ≤ 0.5 | ≤ 0.8 |
| pH (10% water soln) | 6.0 - 8.5 | 6.0 - 8.5 |
| Color (APHA) | ≤ 50 | ≤ 80 |
| Appearance (25°C) | Clear to light yellow liquid | Clear to light yellow liquid |
Analyzing the shift towards high-performance green surfactants, clean beauty compliance, and technical innovation.
Global demand is rapidly shifting toward plant-derived cetyl alcohol precursors. Manufacturers are choosing palm-oil and coconut-oil based derivatives over petrochemical variants to reduce the overall carbon footprint of finished personal care products while maintaining identical sensory performance.
Regulatory bodies and consumer preferences demand trace impurity control. Leading suppliers must maintain minimal free amine residues and zero nitrosamine contamination, prompting factories to refine their alkylation processes under strict quality controls.
To reduce global transport emissions and packaging waste, personal care brands are engineering waterless formulas like solid conditioner bars. Highly concentrated quats require excellent thermal stability and dry-blending compatibility with auxiliary binders.
Sourcing Cetrimonium Chloride at scale demands a balance of chemical purity, regulatory clearance, and delivery reliability. Procurement teams must navigate specific criteria to ensure line-down risks are minimized and formula integrity is maintained:
Discover how Cetrimonium Chloride works synergistically with auxiliary surfactants to power global product formulations.
Active Ingredient Role: Deposits on damaged cuticles to eliminate static, improve detangling, and impart a smooth, silky feel.
Synergy: Combines with non-ionic emulsifiers (e.g., Ceteareth-20, Cetyl Stearyl Alcohol) to form rich, stable cream bases.
Dosage Guidelines: 1.0% - 3.5% active content in rinse-off products; 0.25% - 1.0% in leave-on formulations.
Active Ingredient Role: Neutralizes electrostatic charges on cotton and synthetic textile fibers, minimizing wrinkles and static cling.
Synergy: Often paired with non-ionic surfactants like AEO-9 for uniform distribution during laundry cycles.
Dosage Guidelines: 2.0% - 8.0% active raw material depending on concentration target.
Active Ingredient Role: Acts as a phase-transfer catalyst and emulsifying agent in polymer syntheses and agricultural chemicals.
Synergy: Functions alongside non-ionic surfactants to prevent particle agglomeration in aqueous suspensions.
Dosage Guidelines: Variable based on application needs (typically 0.5% - 2.0%).
As a leading supplier in the daily chemical raw materials industry, Suzhou Yuantairun Chemical Co., Ltd. is dedicated to delivering high-quality products and comprehensive one-stop services to support our customers in R&D, production, and supply chain optimization. Our mission is to drive innovation and efficiency in the global daily chemical industry by providing cutting-edge solutions tailored to our clients' needs.
We assure you that our products originate from well-managed, sustainable resources and meet the highest global standards.
Provide a rich catalog of surfactants, thickeners, preservatives, and emulsifiers, consolidating your raw material sourcing into a single point of contact.
Full technical team backing with advanced laboratory diagnostics to support custom formulation adjustments, OEM, and ODM manufacturing.
Enjoy stable pricing and low margins because of optimized, vertically integrated manufacturing routes and direct-from-factory logistics.
Global supply networks, strategically located warehouses, and robust container booking systems ensure shipments arrive when you need them.
The regulatory landscape for chemical distribution demands strict compliance across international markets. Our Cetrimonium Chloride cationic surfactants undergo intense validation to meet local rules:
Regulatory Certifications: Full REACH Registration (Europe), US EPA Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Inventory compliance, and Cosmetic Regulation EC No 1223/2009 Annex III alignments (limiting concentration levels for consumer applications).
Every product shipment includes comprehensive paperwork, including complete Safety Data Sheets (SDS) in accordance with the Global Harmonized System (GHS), Certificates of Analysis (COA) for every manufacturing batch, and technical data sheets detailing viscosity profiles and preservation parameters.
Pioneering tomorrow's conditioning technology: sustainability, high efficiency, and clean ingredient synergy.
Accelerating the replacement of classic, persistent quats with Ester Quats (e.g., Distearoylethyl Dimonium Chloride) to improve rapid biodegradation profiles in municipal waterways.
Developing molecular conditioning complexes that blend Cetrimonium Chloride with amino acid surfactants (e.g., Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate, Cocoyl Alaninate) to maximize foaming and mildness simultaneously.
Micro-encapsulated active delivery methods designed to deposit cationic conditioning lipids dynamically in response to friction, surface temperature, or relative humidity.
Stay updated on industry trends, chemical innovations, and raw material application advancements.
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Technical and procurement answers provided by our experienced application engineering team.
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