Honeyquat 50 - an ingredient for DIY cosmetics

Honey is one of the oldest skin care ingredients still in use. It has a nourishing, bleaching, and astringent effect on the skin, as well as it is a good antiseptic. Honey is also widely used as a moisturizer both for skin and hair. However because of its sticky consistency it is difficult to use in many cosmetic products. 

Honeyquat 50 is made by modifying honey. To be exact the hydroxy groups of the disaccharides are modified and a quaternary cationic polymer is formed. The positive charge of honeyquat allows it to bind to our negatively charged hair (the damaged areas of hair tend to be negatively charged) and skin to offer moisturizing and conditioning. 

Honeyquat 50 is a low viscosity liquid, usually light yellow in color (those this might vary depending on the brand). It has a slight characteristic amine-like scent. It is freely soluble in water and aqueous alcohol. At 1% it is soluble in propylene glycol and cocoamidopropyl betaine. It is not soluble in oils. Unlike most conditioning agents it does not reduce foam in anionic/non-ionic surfactants. It also does not rinse off. Honeyquat should always be added to the water phase or finished product at a concentration of 1-5% (if added in a larger amount to a hair conditioner it will cause the hair to become sticky).

According to producers honeyquat has humectant activity twice that of glycerin. It is moisturizing, conditioning, reduces hair static and protects against damaging surfactants (such as sodium lauryl sulfate).

It can be used in both leave in and rinse-out products. It is ideal for use in shampoos, conditioners, styling agents, lotions and creams. If stored in a proper way honeyquat 50 has a shelf life of 12 months.