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Ingredient on hair labels

Cocamidopropylamine Oxide

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

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Cocamidopropylamine Oxide is on 5 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 3 makers, most often in shampoos. Its uses in the EU ingredient register include hair conditioning, cleansing and foam-boosting surfactant. 3 of these labels name it among the first five ingredients.

See it on each label Products without it

What it is

In the register’s words: “Amides, coco, N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl], N-oxides.”

EU register name (INCI)
COCAMIDOPROPYLAMINE OXIDE
CAS number
68155-09-9
EC number
268-938-5/931-324-9

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Cocamidopropylamine Oxide 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.

Hair conditioning

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.”

Cleansing

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.”

Foam-boosting surfactant

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.”

Hydrotropic surfactant

Helps another washing ingredient dissolve in water, so a clear shampoo stays clear.

Register definition: “Enhancing the water solubility of another surfactant.”

Cleansing surfactant

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).”

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 (5)

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

Find products without Cocamidopropylamine Oxide Check every name on your own label All ingredients on the labels we compare

Other hair conditioning 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.