What it is
The register’s chemical name for it: “Disodium hydrogenorthophosphate.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- DISODIUM PHOSPHATE
- CAS number
- 7558-79-4 / 7782-85-6
- EC number
- 231-448-7 / -
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Disodium 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.
- Buffering
-
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.”
- 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.”
- Anticorrosive
-
Stops a product corroding its can or packaging.
Register definition: “Preventing and or inhibiting the corrosion of the packaging material.”
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.
- Rinse-out conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Rinse-out conditioners without it
- Deep conditioners 2 labels First five names: 0 of 2 Deep conditioners without it
- Leave-in conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Leave-in conditioners without it
- Stylers 2 labels First five names: 0 of 2 Stylers without it
Every label, product by product (6)
- Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Clean Slate Daily Conditioner Rinse-out conditioner 21st of 30 names
- Not Your Mother's Curl Talk Deep Hydration Mask Deep conditioner 23rd of 30 names
- Cécred Moisturizing Deep Conditioner Deep conditioner 39th of 41 names
- Cantu Ultra Moisture Nourishing Leave-In Conditioner Leave-in conditioner 22nd of 37 names
- PATTERN Curl Gel Styler 28th of 38 names
- Cécred Moisture Sealing Lotion Styler 40th of 48 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 buffering ingredients on these labels
- Citric Acid 93 labels
- Sodium Hydroxide 25 labels
- Aminomethyl Propanol 15 labels
- Lactic Acid 12 labels
- Acetic Acid 7 labels
- Sodium Acetate 7 labels
- Sodium Lactate 5 labels
- Sodium Phosphate 5 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.