Cetrimonium chloride (CTAC) on your skin: a safety profile

What is cetrimonium chloride (ctac)?

The IUPAC name is hexadecyl(trimethyl)azanium chloride.

Also known as: hexadecyl(trimethyl)azanium chloride, Hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride, Cetrimonium chloride, N-Hexadecyltrimethylammonium chloride.

IUPAC name

hexadecyl(trimethyl)azanium chloride

CAS number

112-02-7

Molecular formula

C19H42ClN

Molecular weight

320.0 g/mol

SMILES

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC[N+](C)(C)C.[Cl-]

PubChem CID

8154

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Cetrimonium chloride (CTAC).

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter cetrimonium chloride (ctac)

• Personal Care — conditioner, hair mask
• Consumer Products — fabric softener, dryer sheets, cleaning products

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Cetrimonium chloride (CTAC):

• Behentrimonium chloride
  Trade-offs: Alternative surfactant; performance characteristics (foaming, emulsification, wetting) vary; biodegradability and aquatic toxicity should be assessed; formulation adjustment may be needed.
  Relative cost: 1.2-2×
• Cetrimonium chloride (lower conc)
  Trade-offs: Alternative surfactant; performance characteristics (foaming, emulsification, wetting) vary; biodegradability and aquatic toxicity should be assessed; formulation adjustment may be needed.
  Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions