As a new type of foreign trade service provider driven by both technology transformation and foreign trade services, HiSiaddi has established the "1+2+3+4=1" service system and can supply refined dialkyl quaternary ammonium salts from multiple well-known original manufacturers.
As a foreign trade enterprise with R&D attributes, HiSiaddi has repeatedly relied on technical transformation cooperation with factories and accurate insight into market demands to propose formula optimization schemes and application improvement suggestions for refined dialkyl quaternary ammonium salts. Below is a consultation case of HiSiaddi on formula optimization for refined dialkyl quaternary ammonium salts.
If you need further formula optimization consultation services, please contact HiSiaddi customer service.
The cooperating client is IBERIA LUX, a light luxury personal care brand based in Spain. It specializes in premium nourishing hair conditioners, silk-specific fabric softeners and salon professional care products, sold in high-end beauty stores and star hotel spas across Spain, Portugal, France and other Southern European countries. The brand strictly complies with EU cosmetics regulations, IFRA Standard Version 51 and low-irritation raw material standards, with refined dialkyl quaternary ammonium salts serving as the core cationic conditioning agent in its products.
The client had long purchased mid-to-high-end domestic refined dialkyl quaternary ammonium salts, yet continuous production abnormalities emerged after switching to a new batch of raw materials recently: finished products turned turbid and layered, softening conditioning effects declined, and slight odor generated after high-temperature maturation. Meanwhile, the raw material suffered poor fluidity under low-temperature working conditions in winter, causing pipeline delivery blockages and severe wall adhesion inside equipment, with cross-odor contamination occurring during cross-category production. The client’s internal R&D and production teams repeatedly adjusted formula ratios, temperature control and stirring parameters but failed to fundamentally solve the problems, resulting in sustained losses in production capacity and finished product quality. The client then entrusted HiSiaddi’s technical team to conduct on-site diagnosis and complete full-process rectification.
Combining raw material test reports, the client’s existing formula system, workshop production working conditions and storage conditions, HiSiaddi comprehensively analyzed and identified four core technical problems:
The batch of raw materials was insufficiently purified, with trace short-chain hydrocarbons and unreacted free amines remaining. The production process involves a constant temperature maturation procedure at 52°C; impurities decompose under heat to produce faint odors and increase raw material irritation, conflicting with the brand’s sensitive skin care positioning.
Elevated electrolyte content in the raw material disrupts the colloidal system stability after compounding with plant moisturizing extracts and aromatic essential oils in the formula, leading to haze and local flocculation. In addition, uneven dispersion of effective conditioning ingredients significantly weakens hair softening and anti-static effects.
The storage and transportation temperature in mountainous areas of Southern Europe can drop to -6°C. This grade of raw material has weak cold resistance, with viscosity rising sharply at low temperatures, making feeding difficult and causing abnormal finished product consistency and poor user experience.
The raw material itself features high viscosity, compounded with component characteristics, leading to heavy adhesion on the inner walls of reaction kettles, delivery pipelines and filling equipment. The raw material loss rate reached 9.8% per production run. Such cationic raw materials have strong odor adhesion; residual odors are hard to eliminate when switching between aromatic and refreshing product lines, extending equipment cleaning time and drastically reducing production efficiency.
HiSiaddi adhered to three principles: no change to the brand’s original product positioning, no replacement of main production equipment, and no exceeding EU safety limits. Rectification solutions were formulated and implemented from four dimensions: raw material deep purification, formula optimization, process adjustment and on-site management.
We coordinated partner factories to adopt a secondary high-vacuum rectification + precision filtration process to selectively remove free amines, short-chain hydrocarbons and other heat-decomposable impurities. Post-purification testing showed harmful residues reduced to below the detection limit, completely resolving the odor generated under high temperature. Meanwhile, a raw material incoming sampling inspection mechanism was established, with impurity, viscosity and active substance content tested for every batch to control quality at the source.
Compound ratios were optimized with compliant nonionic solubilizers added to neutralize excess electrolytes and repair the colloidal structure, eliminating turbidity and flocculation of finished products. The pH value of the system was fine-tuned to the brand’s standard range to stabilize the conditioning activity of quaternary ammonium salts and restore core softening and anti-static effects on hair. Multiple sets of compounding tests were carried out to verify compatibility between raw materials and various plant extracts and fragrance bases, ensuring stable application across all fragrance and functional product lines.
Temperature management: The product maturation temperature was lowered to below 45°C to reduce raw material high-temperature residence time and avoid thermal decomposition of impurities; constant temperature devices were installed on workshop raw material storage tanks to maintain temperature above 5°C and prevent excessive viscosity growth of raw materials at low temperatures. Feeding sequence adjustment: Pure water and plant extracts were mixed first, followed by slow addition of quaternary ammonium salts under low-speed stirring to avoid system instability caused by excessive local concentration.
Raw material viscosity was moderately optimized relying on purification processes; meanwhile, food-grade anti-stick treatment was applied to inner equipment walls, and wall scraping operations were added during stirring procedures. After rectification, the raw material loss rate dropped to below 3%. Production line zoning management was implemented, with independent pipelines and filling equipment allocated for hair care and fabric softener products. Standardized cleaning procedures were formulated, with dedicated solvents circulated to scour pipelines before cross-category production to fully remove residual odors, cutting cleaning duration by 40%.
HiSiaddi technical personnel delivered bilingual practical training for the client’s production and quality inspection teams, clarifying standard operating requirements including temperature control ranges, feeding sequences, stirring speeds and equipment cleaning. Chinese-English operation instruction manuals were compiled simultaneously. We assisted the client in improving raw material acceptance standards to form a regular quality control system.
1. Small-batch trial production: 8 consecutive batches of trial production delivered finished products meeting all standards in transparency, fragrance and conditioning performance, with no abnormalities in low-temperature simulation tests and accelerated aging tests.
2. Full production resumption: The client fully adopted the optimized formula and operation specifications, with all technical issues eliminated during mass production for multiple consecutive months and a sustained 100% finished product qualification rate.
3. End-user feedback: After finished products were launched on the market, offline channels and cooperating high-end venues reported stable texture and performance with favorable public praise.
1. Reduced production costs: Raw material loss, labor and energy consumption decreased simultaneously, significantly lifting production efficiency.
2. Controllable quality risks: The dual system of raw material sampling inspection and in-process control was implemented, greatly improving the stability of subsequent supply quality.
3. Deep client recognition: The client’s technical team acknowledged that HiSiaddi fully mastered the physicochemical properties of refined dialkyl quaternary ammonium salts and production working conditions of European high-end personal care plants, with practical and efficient solutions fully matching the brand’s premium positioning.
4. Upgraded cooperation: The client designated HiSiaddi as the core supplier of this product category and expanded annual procurement volume. HiSiaddi is now consulted in advance for raw material adaptation and process prediction during new product formula R&D.
For overseas mid-to-high-end hair care brands using refined dialkyl quaternary ammonium salts, core concerns focus on low impurities, compounding stability, temperature zone adaptability and production compatibility, fundamentally different from ordinary industrial products that only satisfy basic indicators.
In this case, technical problems stemmed from a combination of defective raw material quality and improper formula & production processes. HiSiaddi adopted a combined solution of "source purification + formula optimization + process rectification + process management" to rapidly resolve production crises while establishing a long-term quality control mechanism. Supported by professional application technology and on-site implementation services, we continuously meet the stringent requirements of premium brands and further consolidate our strategic partnership with clients.
If you need further formula optimization consultation services, please contact HiSiaddi customer service.
+86-13120989737 
info@hisiaddi.com 
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