Ingredient on hair labels

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

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

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Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is on 26 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 14 makers. Its uses in the EU ingredient register include fragrance, solvent and perfuming. 13 of these labels name it among the first five ingredients.

What it is

In the register’s words: “Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride is the mixed triester of glycerin and caprylic and capric acids.”

EU register name (INCI)
CAPRYLIC/CAPRIC TRIGLYCERIDE
CAS number
73398-61-5/ 65381-09-1
EC number
277-452-2/ 265-724-3

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride in any cosmetic, hair roles first. They say why a maker might add it, not what it does in one formula, and they aren’t a safety rating.

Fragrance

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.”

Solvent

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).”

Perfuming

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.”

Occlusive

Forms a layer that slows water loss. Heavier oils, butters and waxes carry it.

Register definition: “Retarding the evaporation of water from the skin surface. Occlusives are generally lipids which tend to remain on the skin surface and thus increase the water content of skin.”

Where it sits on each label

US labels list ingredients from most to least, except that those at 1% or less may follow in any order. A name near the top is a large part of the formula. A label doesn’t mark where the 1% point falls, so further down, the order says little about how much is in it.

Every label, product by product (26)

Each line runs from the first name on a label to the last; a dot is where this ingredient sits. Makers change formulas now and then; if the list on your bottle differs, go by your bottle.

Your next step

Other fragrance ingredients on these labels

Updated · The name, numbers and uses come from the European Commission’s CosIng entry (CC BY 4.0); we write the uses in US spelling and put the hair ones first. The labels are each maker’s own. The order rule is the FDA’s Cosmetics Labeling Guide. All our sources are on the Sources page.