Incroquat CR - A Conditioning Ingredient That Softens and Detangles

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Incroquat CR is a cationic compound like BTMS, cetrimonium bromide and cetrimonium chloride. It is commonly used in conditioners. “Incroquat” is not a chemical’s name, it is a trademark of a company called Croda. CR stands for Crème Rinse. It is a combination of Cetearyl Alcohol (and) PEG-40 Castor Oil (and) Stearalkonium Chloride. Stearalkonium Chloride is 15% of Incroquat CR.

Its usage rate in hair products is normally 5 to 7%.

It is good for softening and detangling hair so it’s a good addition to conditioners but it is not better than BTMS. It doesn’t have humectant properties so always add another ingredient to the conditioner for that function.

Cetrimonium chloride is better at detangling so consider combining the two in your conditioner formulations to have a great detangler rather than just a good one.

Note, however, that although incroquat CR is supposed to be an emulsifier it’s not a particularly effective one when used on its own; therefore, if you use it in recipes with a lot of silicones and oils the product will probably separate unless there is another emulsifier there.

I would not recommend using incroquat CR as a conditioning agent on its own if you have dry hair like me. It needs to be combined with another cationic compound.

Add it to the heated oil phase of a conditioner.

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