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Ingredient on hair labels

Maltodextrin

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

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Maltodextrin is on 4 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 4 makers. Its uses in the EU ingredient register include hair conditioning, emulsion stabilizing and film forming. None of these labels names it among its first five ingredients.

See it on each label Products without it

What it is

EU register name (INCI)
MALTODEXTRIN
CAS number
9050-36-6
EC number
232-940-4

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Maltodextrin 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.

Hair conditioning

The register’s hair role for ingredients that make hair feel softer, smoother or easier to comb. Most conditioners, masks and leave-ins list several.

Register definition: “Enhancing the appearance and feel of hair. Leaving the hair easy to comb, supple, soft and shiny and/or imparting volume, lightness, gloss, texture, etc.”

Emulsion stabilizing

Keeps a cream’s oil and water from separating on the shelf.

Register definition: “Helping the process of emulsification and improving emulsion stability and shelf-life.”

Film forming

Leaves a thin, continuous film on the hair as it dries. Polymers in gels and foams carry it; the film is what feels like a cast.

Register definition: “Producing (upon application) a continuous film on the skin, hair or nails.”

Absorbent

Takes up water or oil. Clays and starches carry this role.

Register definition: “Taking up water- and/or oil-soluble (dissolved or finely dispersed) substances.”

Binding

Holds powders or pressed products together. On a hair label it usually sits beside another listed use.

Register definition: “Providing adhesive properties during and after compression in cosmetic tablets and/or cakes.”

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 (4)

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

Other hair conditioning 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.