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Distearyldimonium Chloride
  • mo
    Hi, does anybody know what is "Distearyldimonium Chloride". It is the third ingredient in my favourite moisturizer - "Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Daily Therapeutic Lotion, Body Moisturizer, Fragrance Free ". I could not find it any where on the internet or the Cosmetic Review website. Just want to be sure that it would be safe for use on face, forehead etc as it works better than any facial moisturizer I have ever used. It worries me that I can't find any information on this. At least I should be able to find out what is it made from, petroleum, synthetic or what?
  • Left BrainLeft Brain
    Distearyldimonium Chloride is a positively charged surfactant. 
    It is typically used as a hair conditioning ingredient but it should have some moisturizing effect on the skin. Essentially, the positive charge interacts with negatively charged proteins on your skin, so the ingredient doesn't completely rinse off. This provides a nice feel to your skin's surface.
    It is typically produced synthetically but can also be made from animal by-products.  (For PR reasons, producing it from animal parts is not really done in the cosmetic industry anymore.)  It has a fine safety profile although some people may find it irritating to their skin.
    It also goes by the names
    # Dimethyl Dioctadecyl Ammonium Chloride

    # N,N-Dimethyl-N-Octadecyl-1-Octadecanaminium Chloride

    # Distearyl Dimethyl Ammonium Chloride



    You can look up the CAS # which is 107-64-2
    Also, look at this entry on Wikipedia about the compound.
  • mo
    Thank You Left Brain, I do appreciate your response. I figure the ingredient is pretty safe and I will continue to use the lotion on my body.
  • taffi
    i notice the word ammonia in the name. looking at the wiki link, it seems that the nitrogen atom is attached to two Methyl Groups (containing H) and two long hydrocarbon chains. does this mean that this can release ammonia on to our skin, when used???
  • sarahf
    I'm not a chemist, I took chem in college but it's been a long, long while.  I wouldn't assume the ammonia gets released.  It may be something like a stable ammonium salt (?).  Just a wild guess.  Don't really know what I'm talking about.  Hope someone who does will chime in.
  • sarahf
    Also, it appears there are lots of related compounds that are found in nature--some harmful, but some helpful and necessary for our bodies to function.  Carnitine is a quaternary ammonium compound that is naturally occurring.  You can buy in health food stores (though I wouldn't recommend it, those supplements I'm afraid aren't well regulated).  But there is evidence it is neuroprotective (helps protect our brains from damage).  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16179522  Looks like our bodies even make ammonia.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16179522  So things with ammonia in them may not be all bad?
  • professorauntie
    Weird, I just by coincindence mentioned the same product and ingredient in another discussion, "How to keep my curls separate & nice, not fuzzy?". I mentioned "Distearyldimonium Chloride" in "Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Daily Therapeutic Lotion, Body Moisturizer, Fragrance Free ", because this lotion works pretty well for me as a de-frizzing hair-styling lotion as well as a skin lotion.
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