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Ingredient on hair labels

Glycol Distearate

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

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Glycol Distearate is on 15 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 12 makers, most often in shampoos. Its uses in the EU ingredient register include emollient, emulsifying surfactant and viscosity controlling. 6 of these labels name it among the first five ingredients.

See it on each label Products without it

What it is

The register’s chemical name for it: “Ethylene distearate.”

EU register name (INCI)
GLYCOL DISTEARATE
CAS number
627-83-8
EC number
211-014-3

What the register lists it for

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

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.”

Opacifying

Makes a product less see-through, which is why some shampoos and conditioners look creamy.

Register definition: “Reducing transparency or translucency of cosmetics.”

Skin conditioning

The register’s broad role for ingredients that keep skin in good condition. On a hair label it often sits beside a hair role, or marks a plant oil or extract.

Register definition: “Maintaining the skin in good condition.”

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 (15)

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 Glycol Distearate Check every name on your own label All ingredients on the labels we compare

Other emollient 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.