What it is
The register’s chemical name for it: “Dihexadecyl hydrogen phosphate.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- DICETYL PHOSPHATE
- CAS number
- 2197-63-9
- EC number
- 218-594-7
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Dicetyl Phosphate 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.
- Emulsifying surfactant
-
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.”
- 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.
- Stylers 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Stylers without it
- Curl refreshers 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Curl refreshers without it
Every label, product by product (2)
- Aussie Miracle Curls Frizz Free Curl Cream Styler 11th of 25 names
- PATTERN Hydrating Mist Curl refresher 33rd of 52 names
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 emulsifying surfactant ingredients on these labels
- Polysorbate 20 21 labels
- Polysorbate 60 13 labels
- Xanthan Gum 11 labels
- Glycereth-2 Cocoate 10 labels
- PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil 10 labels
- Trideceth-12 8 labels
- PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate 7 labels
- PEG-150 Distearate 6 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.