What it is
In the register’s words: “Glyceryl Caprylate is the monoester of glycerin and caprylic acid.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- GLYCERYL CAPRYLATE
- CAS number
- 26402-26-6
- EC number
- 247-668-1
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Glyceryl Caprylate 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.
- Emollient
-
Oils, butters and similar ingredients that make a surface feel soft and smooth. On hair they coat the strand; many plant oils carry this role.
Register definition: “Acting as lubricants on the skin surface providing the skin with a soft and smooth appearance.”
- 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.”
- Deodorant
-
Reduces or covers unpleasant smells.
Register definition: “Reducing and/or eluminating unpleasant odour. Contributing against the formation of malodour on body surfaces.”
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
- Curl refreshers 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Curl refreshers without it
Every label, product by product (2)
- Curlsmith Essential Moisture Conditioner Rinse-out conditioner 25th of 33 names
- PATTERN Hydrating Mist Curl refresher 38th 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 emollient ingredients on these labels
- Cetearyl Alcohol 80 labels
- Cetyl Alcohol 45 labels
- Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil 31 labels
- Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil 25 labels
- Stearyl Alcohol 23 labels
- Glyceryl Stearate 15 labels
- Glycol Distearate 15 labels
- Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate 15 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.