Health Concerns of the Ingredient:
Overall Hazard
About SOYTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE: Soytrimonium Chloride is a quaternary ammonium salt.
Function(s): Antistatic Agent; Hair Conditioning Agent; EMULSIFYING; PRESERVATIVE; SURFACTANT
Synonym(s): CHLORIDES QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS, TRIMETHYLSOY ALKYL; N- (SOY ALKYL) -N,N,N-TRIMETHYL AMMONIUM CHLORIDE; QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS, TRIMETHYLSOY ALKYL, CHLORIDES; QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS, TRIMETHYLSOYA ALKYL, CHLORIDES; QUATERNIUM-9; SOY TRIMETHYL AMMONIUM CHLORIDE; SOYATRIMONIUM CHLORIDE; TRIMETHYLSOY ALKYL CHLORIDES QUATERNARY AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS; ADOGEN 415; ARQUAD S; N- (SOYA ALKYL) -N,N,N-TRIMETHYL AMMONIUM CHLORIDE
Allergies/immunotoxicity
Concern |
Reference |
Known human toxicant or allergen | AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics) |
Human toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics) |
Developmental/reproductive toxicity
Concern |
Reference |
One or more animal studies show effects at moderate doses | Vanessa E |
Use restrictions
Concern |
Reference |
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualifications | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
Concern |
Reference |
Limited evidence of skin irritation | |
Ecotoxicology
Concern |
Reference |
Suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data gaps
Concern |
Reference |
Unknown safety for non-permanent hair dyes (only for hair dye) | Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
Concern |
Reference |
Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
Concern |
Reference |
Classified as not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as a low human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Data Sources
AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2012. Asthmagen compilation - AEOC exposures codes. |
AOEC (Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics). 2012. Asthmagen compilation - AEOC exposures codes. |
CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC. |
EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
European Commission. 2013. Cosing, the European Commission database with information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. Accessed on March 1, 2013 at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/ . |
NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov. |
Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS). 2012. Opinion on Soytrimonium chloride, SCCS/1464/12. March 2012. |
Vanessa E. Melin, Haritha Potineni, Patricia Hunt, Jodi Griswold, Bill Siems, Stephen R. Werre & Terry C. Hrubec. 2014. Exposure to common quaternary ammonium disinfectants decreases fertility in mice. Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) 50, 163-70 |
Vanessa E. Melin, Travis E. Melin, Brian J. Dessify, Christina T. Nguyen, Caroline S. Shea & Terry C. Hrubec. 2015. Quaternary Ammonium Disinfectants Cause Subfertility in Mice by Targeting both Male and Female Reproductive Processes. Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.). |
Products Containing the Ingredient
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EWG provides information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature, to supplement incomplete data available from companies and the government. The ratings below indicate the relative level of concern posed by exposure to the ingredients in this product - not the product itself - compared to other product formulations. The ratings reflect potential health hazards but do not account for the level of exposure or individual susceptibility, factors which determine actual health risks, if any.
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