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Understand the label

Ingredients on curly-hair labels

TheWashDay editorial · Updated · From the EU ingredient register and the makers’ own labels · How we match names

480 ingredients appear on at least two of the 177 hair-product labels we compare. Each page says what the European Commission’s ingredient register lists it for, where it sits on each label and which products carry it. Search a name, or browse by what the register says it does. Nothing here is a safety or performance rating.

A one-page sheet of 20 common names All 837 names and their uses (CSV)

Find an ingredient

480 ingredients, grouped by use.

On the most labels

The groups label checkers look for

Sulfates, silicones, drying alcohols and waxes are the four groups the Curly Girl Method leaves out; the others are groups label lists argue about or readers often avoid. Each shows the names our labels use for it and how many of the 177 labels list one.

Jump to a use

Hair conditioning (83)

The register’s hair role for ingredients that make hair feel softer, smoother or easier to comb. Most conditioners, masks and leave-ins list several.

Register definition: “Enhancing the appearance and feel of hair. Leaving the hair easy to comb, supple, soft and shiny and/or imparting volume, lightness, gloss, texture, etc.”

Fragrance (68)

Gives the product its smell or covers an unpleasant one. A label may name each scent ingredient or group them as Fragrance (Parfum).

Register definition: “Imparting an odour or taste. Creating a perceivable pleasant smell and/or masking a bad smell.”

Emollient (58)

Oils, butters and similar ingredients that make a surface feel soft and smooth. On hair they coat the strand; many plant oils carry this role.

Register definition: “Acting as lubricants on the skin surface providing the skin with a soft and smooth appearance.”

Skin conditioning (43)

The register’s broad role for ingredients that keep skin in good condition. On a hair label it often sits beside a hair role, or marks a plant oil or extract.

Register definition: “Maintaining the skin in good condition.”

Emulsifying surfactant (28)

Lets oil and water mix into one cream or lotion and stay mixed. Conditioners and creams rely on them.

Register definition: “Helping suspensions or dispersions of liquids in a second liquid by reducing the surface tension of the substances to be emulsified.”

Perfuming (20)

Used as a perfume or scent material. Essential oils and their scent compounds, such as linalool and limonene, carry this role.

Register definition: “Used for perfume and aromatic raw materials.”

Cleansing (19)

The register’s general role for ingredients that help clean, from washing ingredients to some plant extracts.

Register definition: “Helping to keep the body surface clean.”

Humectant (19)

Holds water in the product and on the surface it touches. Glycerin, honey and aloe are common humectants on curly-hair labels.

Register definition: “Retaining and/or preserving the moisture in a product during use.”

Antistatic (17)

Cuts the static that makes dry hair fly away. Many conditioning ingredients carry this role too, because both work at the hair’s surface.

Register definition: “Preventing and/or reducing static electricity by neutralising electrical charge on surfaces.”

Antimicrobial (14)

Slows the growth of microbes, in the product or on the surface it touches. Some preservatives, extracts and essential oils carry this role.

Register definition: “Preventing and/or slowing down microbial growth.”

Buffering (14)

Keeps the product’s pH (how acidic it is) steady.

Register definition: “Stabilising the pH of an aqueous medium in a narrow range even if an acid or base is added. Altering and/or maintaining a cosmetic product's pH at the desired level.”

Chelating (12)

Binds metal ions, such as those in hard water, so they don’t spoil the product. Clarifying shampoos often list one.

Register definition: “Forming complexes with metal ions which could affect the stability and/or appearance of cosmetics.”

Antioxidant (9)

Slows the oxygen damage that makes oils go rancid in the bottle. Vitamin E (tocopherol) is the common one.

Register definition: “Inhibiting reactions promoted by oxygen, thus avoiding oxidation and rancidity.”

Preservative (8)

Stops bacteria, mold and yeast growing in the bottle. EU law allows only the preservatives on its own list for this role.

Register definition: “Exclusively or mainly intended to inhibit the development of micro-organisms in the cosmetic product. All authorised preservatives are substances in the positive list of Annex V to the Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009.”

Skin protecting (8)

Helps shield skin from outside factors. On a hair label it usually sits beside a conditioning role.

Register definition: “Helping to avoid harmful effects to the skin from external factors.”

Hair fixing (7)

Holds a style in place. Gels, foams and creams that promise hold list these near the top.

Register definition: “Permitting physical control of hair style.”

Solvent (7)

Dissolves other ingredients. Water is the most common; some alcohols and glycols carry this role too.

Register definition: “Dissolving other components of cosmetics. Solvents are usually liquids (aqueous and nonaqueous).”

Viscosity controlling (7)

Makes a product thicker or thinner, so a gel holds its shape or a shampoo pours. Gums, cellulose and some salts carry this role.

Register definition: “Increasing or decreasing the viscosity (thickness) of cosmetics.”

Cleansing surfactant (5)

The washing ingredients: they let water lift oil, product and dirt off hair and scalp. Shampoos list them near the top; some conditioners hold a little.

Register definition: “Wetting body surfaces, emulsifying or solubilizing oils, and suspending soil (generally, such ingredients contribute to the foaming and lathering properties of cleansing products).”

Emulsion stabilizing (5)

Keeps a cream’s oil and water from separating on the shelf.

Register definition: “Helping the process of emulsification and improving emulsion stability and shelf-life.”

Film forming (5)

Leaves a thin, continuous film on the hair as it dries. Polymers in gels and foams carry it; the film is what feels like a cast.

Register definition: “Producing (upon application) a continuous film on the skin, hair or nails.”

Skin conditioning (3)

A register role for ingredients that help dry or rough skin feel supple again.

Register definition: “Enhancing the appearance of dry and/or damaged skin by reducing flaking and restoring suppleness.”

Bulking (2)

Adds volume to a product without reacting with anything.

Register definition: “Non-reactive (chemically inert), solid ingredients that dilute other solids and/or increase the volume of cosmetic products.”

Colorant (2)

Colors the product itself, or the hair or skin. EU law allows only the colorants on its own list.

Register definition: “Exclusively or mainly intended to colour the cosmetic product, the body as a whole or certain parts thereof, by absorption or reflection of visible light; (precursors of oxidative hair colorants shall be deemed colorants). All authorised colorants are substances in the positive list of Annex IV to the Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009.”

Foam-boosting surfactant (2)

Makes a shampoo foam more or keeps the foam from collapsing. Foam on its own says nothing about how clean hair gets.

Register definition: “Increasing foaming capacity and/or stabilize foams in general.”

Hair dyeing (2)

Colors hair. In these wash-day products, an ingredient with this role is usually there for a listed use of its own, not to dye your hair.

Register definition: “Imparting color to hair. Hair dyeing preparations may be temporary, semi-permanent, permanent, depending on the length of time the colorant remains on the hair.”

Hair waving or straightening (2)

The register’s role for ingredients that can change the hair’s structure in a perm or relaxer. None of the products here is a perm or relaxer; an ingredient with this role is usually on their labels for another listed use.

Register definition: “Modifying the chemical structure of the hair, allowing it to be set in the style required (permanent waves or hair straightening).”

Light stabilizer (2)

Protects the product itself from damage by light in a clear bottle.

Register definition: “Protecting the cosmetic product from deterioration effects of light.”

Moisturizing (2)

Raises the water content of the skin. Hair labels often list these for the scalp as well as the lengths.

Register definition: “Increasing the water content of the skin and keeping it soft and smooth.”

Anti-seborrheic (1)

The register’s role for ingredients used against the symptoms of seborrheic dermatitis, including dandruff. On a label it says why a maker may add it, not that a product treats dandruff.

Register definition: “Preventing or relieving the symptoms of seborrhea and/or seborrheic dermatitis, including dandruff.”

Astringent (1)

Gives skin a tighter feel. Witch hazel and some plant extracts carry this role.

Register definition: “Contracting and/or tightening the skin.”

Denaturant (1)

Makes alcohol taste too bad to drink. It is why labels say Alcohol Denat.

Register definition: “Rendering cosmetics unpalatable. Mostly added to cosmetics containing ethyl alcohol to make it unsuitable for ingestion.”

Deodorant (1)

Reduces or covers unpleasant smells.

Register definition: “Reducing and/or eluminating unpleasant odour. Contributing against the formation of malodour on body surfaces.”

No role listed (1)

The register lists no use for this ingredient yet.

Register definition: “No function currently reported.”

Refreshing (1)

Gives a fresh, cool feel on the skin. Menthol and mint oils carry this role.

Register definition: “Imparting a pleasant freshness to the skin.”

Smoothing (1)

Evens out a rough surface. The register writes this for skin; on a hair label it sits beside conditioning ingredients.

Register definition: “Seeking to achieve an even skin surface by decreasing roughness or irregularities.”

How this list is made

A name gets a page when it is on at least two current labels we compare and the EU register lists it. Spellings the register treats as one ingredient share a page, so Water and Aqua are one entry. A name on a single label is still explained, with its uses, in the label checker and on that product’s page.

Each ingredient is filed under the first use the register lists for it on a hair label; its page lists the others. The register describes what an ingredient is used for in any cosmetic, not what it does in one formula.

Updated · Names, numbers and uses come from the European Commission’s CosIng register (CC BY 4.0); we write the uses in US spelling and put the hair ones first. The labels are each maker’s own. All our sources are on the Sources page.

thewashday.com/ingredients

20 names you’ll see on curly-hair labels, on one page

Print it, or keep it open on your phone in the shop aisle. Each name links to its page; the last column is how many of the 177 labels we compare list it. The uses are the EU ingredient register’s, for any cosmetic; they are not a verdict on a formula.

Name on the labelWhat the register lists it forLabels
Water (Aqua/Eau) Also printed as Water, Water/Aqua/Eau Solvent 166 of 177
Glycerin Also printed as Glycerin (Vegetable), Glycerin (Vegetable/Végétale) Hair conditioning, humectant, solvent and 7 more 131 of 177
Cetearyl Alcohol Emollient, emulsifying surfactant, emulsion stabilizing and 4 more 80 of 177
Cetyl Alcohol Emollient, emulsifying surfactant, emulsion stabilizing and 5 more 45 of 177
Behentrimonium Methosulfate Also printed as Behentrimonium Methosulfate (BTMS) Hair conditioning, antistatic, cleansing surfactant 38 of 177
Behentrimonium Chloride Hair conditioning, antistatic, preservative 34 of 177
Amodimethicone Hair conditioning, antistatic 13 of 177
Dimethicone Emollient, antifoaming, skin conditioning and 1 more 10 of 177
Polyquaternium-10 Antistatic, film forming 30 of 177
Polyquaternium-69 Hair fixing 5 of 177
PVP Hair fixing, antistatic, emulsion stabilizing and 3 more 14 of 177
Hydroxyethylcellulose Also printed as Hydroxyethylcellulose (plant derived) Emulsion stabilizing, film forming, viscosity controlling and 2 more 24 of 177
Xanthan Gum Emulsifying surfactant, emulsion stabilizing, gel forming and 4 more 11 of 177
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Hair conditioning, antistatic, skin conditioning 12 of 177
Panthenol Also printed as Panthenol (Pro-Vitamin B5), Panthenol (Vitamin B5) Hair conditioning, antistatic, skin conditioning 72 of 177
Citric Acid Buffering, chelating, fragrance 93 of 177
Sodium Benzoate Fragrance, preservative, anticorrosive 61 of 177
Phenoxyethanol Also printed as Phenoxyethanol (Optiphen ND) Antimicrobial, preservative 120 of 177
Disodium EDTA Chelating, viscosity controlling 38 of 177
Fragrance (Parfum) Also printed as Fragrance, Parfum (Fragrance) Fragrance, perfuming 133 of 177

Download all 837 names, with every use the register lists (CSV)

The download has every name on our labels that the EU register lists, how the labels spell it, how many labels carry it and its register entry. It is made from the same records as these pages, each time they change.