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Ingredient on hair labels

Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil

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

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Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil is on 31 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 15 makers. Its uses in the EU ingredient register include emollient, solvent and occlusive. 4 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: “Helianthus Annuus Seed Oil is the fixed oil expressed from the seeds of the sunflower, Helianthus annuus.”

EU register name (INCI)
HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED OIL
CAS number
84776-03-4 (generic)/ 8001-21-6/ 164250-88-8 (generic)
EC number
-/ 232-273-9/ -

Labels often add a second name in brackets, so a label may say Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil where the register says HELIANTHUS ANNUUS SEED OIL. Both are the same ingredient.

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil 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.”

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).”

Occlusive

Forms a layer that slows water loss. Heavier oils, butters and waxes carry it.

Register definition: “Retarding the evaporation of water from the skin surface. Occlusives are generally lipids which tend to remain on the skin surface and thus increase the water content of skin.”

Skin conditioning

A register role for ingredients that help dry or rough skin feel supple again.

Register definition: “Enhancing the appearance of dry and/or damaged skin by reducing flaking and restoring suppleness.”

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 (31)

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 Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil 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.