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Ingredient on hair labels

Glycerin

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

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Glycerin is on 131 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 27 makers. Its uses in the EU ingredient register include hair conditioning, humectant and solvent. 72 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: “Glycerin is the polyhydric alcohol.”

EU register name (INCI)
GLYCERIN
CAS number
56-81-5
EC number
200-289-5
Other names in the register
Glycerine; Glycerol (INN); Glycerol (RIFM); Glycerolum (EP); Glycyl Alcohol; 1,2,3-Propanetriol; 1,2,3-Trihydroxypropane
Written on these labels as
Glycerin; Glycerin (Vegetable); Glycerin (Vegetable/Végétale)

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Glycerin 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.”

Humectant

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.”

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).”

Viscosity controlling

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.”

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.”

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.”

Skin humectant

Draws water into the top layers of skin. Glycerin-type ingredients carry it alongside the plain humectant role.

Register definition: “Increasing the water content of the top layers of the skin. Humectants are primarily hygroscopic agents drawing moisture from the surrounding air.”

Denaturant

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.”

Oral care

A role the ingredient has in toothpaste or mouthwash. On a hair label it is there for another listed use.

Register definition: “Providing cosmetic effects to the oral cavity, e.g. cleansing, deodorising, protecting.”

Skin protecting

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.”

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 (131)

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 Glycerin 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.