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Ingredient on hair labels

(Honey) Mel

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

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(Honey) Mel is on 3 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 2 makers. Its uses in the EU ingredient register are emollient, humectant and moisturizing. One of these labels names it among the first five ingredients.

See it on each label Products without it

What it is

In the register’s words: “Naturally occurring substances, honey, a saccharic secretion gathered and stored by honey bees.”

EU register name (INCI)
MEL
CAS number
8028-66-8
Written on these labels as
(Honey) Mel; Mel (Honey, Miel); Honey (Mel) Wildflower & Clover

The register has a second entry for this ingredient, Honey, and labels use both names. The Honey page lists its 19 labels.

Labels often add a second name in brackets, so a label may say (Honey) Mel where the register says MEL. Both are the same ingredient.

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for (Honey) Mel 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.”

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.”

Moisturizing

Raises the water content of the skin. Hair labels often list these for the scalp as well as the lengths.

Register definition: “Increasing the water content of the skin and keeping it soft and smooth.”

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 (3)

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 (Honey) Mel 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.