Find products and ingredients Learn how Skin Deep® works Meet our experts Discover EWG VERIFIED®

Data: Fair

Quaternium 15 (Formaldehyde Releaser)

IMAGE SOURCE: PubChem

SEARCH PRODUCTS

Other Concerns

Use restrictions (moderate), Neurotoxicity (low), Endocrine disruption (low), Persistence and bioaccumulation (moderate), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs) (moderate), and Contamination concerns (high)

SYNONYMS

● 1-(3-CHLORO-2-PROPENYL)- 3,5,7-TRIAZA-1-AZONIATRICYCLO[3.3.1.1]DECANE
● 1-(3-CHLORO-2-PROPENYL)-3,5,7-TRIAZA-1-AZONIATRICYCLO[3.3.1.1]DECANE CHLORIDE
● 1-(3-CHLOROALLYL)-3,5,7-TRIAZA-1-AZONIAADAMANTANE CHLORIDE
● 3,5,7-TRIAZA-1-AZONIATRICYCLO[3.3.1.1]DECANE, 1-(3-CHLORO-2-PROPENYL)-
● 3,5,7TRIAZA1AZONIATRICYCLO[3.3.1.13,7]DECANE, 1(3CHLORO2PROPENYL), CHLORIDE
● CHLOROALLYL METHENAMINE CHLORIDE
● METHENAMINE 3-CHLOROALLY LCHLORIDE
● METHENAMINE 3-CHLOROALLYLOCHLORIDE
● N-(3-CHLOROALLYL)HEXAMINIUM CHLORIDE
● QUATERNIUM-15
● QUATERNIUM-15 (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER)

Unacceptable

Unacceptable: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient


This ingredient is a quaternary ammonium salt used as a preservative; it acts as a formaldehyde releaser. The European Union has determined that this ingredient 'may not be safe' in cosmetics.

Common concerns

See how this product scores for common concerns.

  • LOW
    Cancer
  • HIGH
    Allergies & Immunotoxicity
  • LOW
    Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity
  • MODERATE
    Use Restrictions

Ingredient concerns

  • CONCERNS
  • DATA SOURCES

Products with this Ingredient

Expand content Collapse content
mascara7 products
body wash/cleanser3 products
facial powder2 products
moisturizer2 products
styling gel/lotion1 products
after sun product1 products
hand cream1 products
baby soap1 products
shampoo1 products
makeup remover1 products
blush1 products
eye makeup remover1 products
baby shampoo1 products

Contamination concerns

Expand content Collapse content
Chemical
FORMALDEHYDE

Allergies/immunotoxicity

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Known human any toxicant or allergenOpen scientific literature
Human skin toxicant or allergen - strong evidenceCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
Limited evidence of immune system toxicity or allergiesNational Library of Medicine HazMap

Persistence and bioaccumulation

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Persistent or bioaccumulative and moderate to high toxicity concern in humansOpen scientific literature
Not suspected to be bioaccumulativeEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List

Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Possible human eye, skin irritantOpen scientific literature

Use restrictions

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - anyOpen scientific literature
Determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations - Safe for use in cosmetics with some qualificationsCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Possible human any toxicantOpen scientific literature
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmfulEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
Classified as medium human health priorityEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
One or more animal studies show classified as toxic effects at moderate doses (low dose studies may be unavailable for this ingredient)EPA Toxic Release Inventory PBTs

Cancer

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Cancer - limited evidenceOpen scientific literature

Neurotoxicity

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more in vitro tests on mammalian cells demonstrate neurotoxicityOpen scientific literature

Developmental/reproductive toxicity

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
One or more animal studies show any effects at moderate dosesOpen scientific literature

Endocrine disruption

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Associated with endocrine disruptionOpen scientific literature

Data gaps

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in productCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments
94 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemicalNLM PubMed

Informational

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - anyOpen scientific literature
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - Determined safe for use in cosmetics up to a specified concentration limitCosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments

Ecotoxicology

Expand content Collapse content
CONCERN REFERENCE
Not suspected to be an environmental toxinEnvironment Canada Domestic Substance List
  • Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
  • CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
  • EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
  • EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). 1999. Toxics Release Inventory Program. PBT Chemical Rule.
  • NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.

Understanding scores

Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.

Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.

HOW WE DETERMINE SCORES

Hazard score

The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.

Score legend

Data availability

The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.

NONE LIMITED FAIR GOOD ROBUST
Low Availability
Moderate Availability
High Availability

Can’t find your product?

Enter the ingredients in EWG’s Build Your Own Report tool to get an approximate score for that product.

BUILD YOUR OWN REPORT
Skindeep Healthy Living App

EWG research
on the go

Find personal care, cleaning, and food products on the EWG Healthy Living app.

DOWNLOAD THE APP