Distearyldimonium Chloride Average Cleansing Agent No known benefits Distearyldimonium Chloride at a glance Cationic surfactant that helps cleanse skin Assists in stabilizing O/W emulsions Often used in skin and hair care preparations Can impart a smooth feel upon skin Distearyldimonium Chloride description Distearyldimonium chloride is a quaternary ammonium salt and cationic surfactant skin care ingredient used in products as a cleansing and emulsion stabilizing agent. This multi-tasking ingredient can be created synthetically or be derived naturally. Cationic surfactants like distearyldimonium chloride differ from other groups of surfactants in that the end of their water-attracted (hydrophilic) tail possesses an ion that holds a positive charge. This positive charge helps cationic surfactants cleanse away microorganisms on skin’s surface. Beyond cleansing, distearyldimonium chloride also helps stabilize oil-in-water emulsions so that the oil and water-based phases do not separate in their packaging when we attempt to apply them to the face and body. It’s popular as an emulsifying agent in lotions, where it’s said to also impart a smooth feel upon skin. Outside of skin care, this ingredient is also used in hair care as an anti-static and conditioning ingredient. As a raw material, distearyldimonium chloride appears as a white, off-white or light-yellow color and can be produced in powder or pellet form. Suppliers recommend using distearyldimonium chloride in percentages ranging from 0.5 to 10%. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has yet to review this ingredient.