What it is
In the register’s words: “Honey Extract is the extract of from Honey.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- HONEY EXTRACT
- CAS number
- 91052-92-5
- EC number
- 293-255-4
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Honey Extract 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.
- 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.”
- 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.”
- Flavoring
-
Gives a product a taste. On a hair label it is a role the ingredient has elsewhere, such as in lip balm or toothpaste.
Register definition: “Imparting taste and/or flavour to a cosmetic product.”
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.
- 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 (3)
- Innersense Organic Beauty Sweet Spirit Leave In Conditioner Leave-in conditioner · listed as Honey Extract* 22nd of 24 names
- Innersense Organic Beauty Quiet Calm Curl Control Styler · listed as Honey Extract* 25th of 31 names
- Innersense Organic Beauty I Create Hold Styler · listed as Honey Extract* 19th of 20 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 humectant ingredients on these labels
- Propylene Glycol 22 labels
- Honey 19 labels
- Butylene Glycol 14 labels
- Sorbitol 11 labels
- Sodium Hyaluronate 8 labels
- PCA 5 labels
- Phytantriol 5 labels
- Xylitol 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.