What it is
In the register’s words: “Starch, wheat (triticum vulgare), hydrolyzed.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- HYDROLYZED WHEAT STARCH
- CAS number
- 68412-29-3
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch 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.
- Viscosity controlling
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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.”
- Skin conditioning
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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.
- Shampoos 2 labels First five names: 0 of 2 Shampoos without it
- Rinse-out conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Rinse-out conditioners without it
- Deep conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Deep conditioners without it
Every label, product by product (4)
- Ouidad Curl Quencher Moisturizing Shampoo Shampoo 13th of 37 names
- SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Shampoo Shampoo 17th of 27 names
- SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Conditioner Rinse-out conditioner 21st of 29 names
- SheaMoisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Strengthen & Restore Treatment Masque Deep conditioner 13th of 35 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 viscosity controlling ingredients on these labels
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter 57 labels
- Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate 5 labels
- Cellulose 4 labels
- Sodium Sulfate 4 labels
- Tapioca Starch 4 labels
- Potassium Chloride 2 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.