Steapyrium Chloride

What Is It?

Steapyrium Chloride and Lapyrium Chloride are white to light cream-colored powders. In cosmetics and personal care-products, these ingredients are used in hair preparations, including shampoos, as well as in skin care and skin-cleansing preparations.

Why Is It Used?

Steapyrium Chloride and Lapyrium Chloride prevent or inhibit the buildup of static electricity when used in the formulation of hair care products. These ingredients also help to cleanse the skin or to prevent odor by destroying or inhibiting the growth of microorganisms.

Scientific Facts

Steapyrium Chloride, also known as Quaternium-7, is an ester of Stearic Acid. Lapyrium Chloride is an ester of Lauric Acid.

Safety Information

The safety of Steapyrium Chloride, along with Lapyrium Chloride, has been assessed by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) Expert Panel. The CIR Expert Panel concluded that Steapyrium Chloride and Lapyrium Chloride are safe as cosmetic ingredients.

In 2007, as part of the scheduled re-evaluation of ingredients, the CIR Expert Panel considered available new data on Steapyrium Chloride and Lapyrium Chloride and reaffirmed the above conclusion.

CIR Safety Review: Because of the similarity between the structure of Lapyrium Chloride and the structure of Steapyrium Chloride, the CIR Expert Panel relied on data from both materials in their safety evaluation.

Only a very slight dermal irritation was produced on abraded or intact skin. A 50% solution of Lapyrium Chloride produced slight to moderate erythema (redness) under occluded conditions. Steapyrium Chloride produced very slight ocular irritation under the test conditions.

Steapyrium Chloride was nonmutagenic when tested in a Salmonella/microsome assay, both with and without activation. Steapyrium Chloride was neither an irritant nor sensitizer when tested at 100% in a repeat insult occluded patch.

Steapyrium Chloride does not absorb light in the UVA or UVB range and, therefore, would not be expected to be a phototoxic agent. Steapyrium Chloride and Lapyrium Chloride may be used in cosmetics and personal care products marketed in Europe according to the general provisions of the Cosmetics Regulation of the European Union. Ingredients of animal origin must comply with European Union animal by-products regulations.

Link to the EU Cosmetic Regulation: 
http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/consumers/product_labelling_and_p…

More Scientific Information

Steapyrium Chloride and Lapryium Chloride are quaternary ammonium salts used as antistatic agents or as antimicrobials in cosmetic and personal care products. Antistatic agents are ingredients that alter the electrical properties of cosmetic raw materials or human body surfaces (skin, hair, etc.) by reducing their tendency to acquire an electrical charge.

Antistatic agents are used as processing aids in the manufacture of cosmetic products and play a role in the formulation of hair products that prevent the condition commonly known as fly-away hair. Antistatic agents may also attach themselves to the skin’s surface by the process of adsorption and thereby modify the skin’s surface characteristics.