What it is
In the register’s words: “Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil is the oil expressed from the seeds of Opuntia ficus-indica.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- OPUNTIA FICUS-INDICA SEED OIL
- CAS number
- 90082-21-6
- EC number
- 290-109-1
- Written on these labels as
- Opuntia Ficus-Indica Seed Oil; Opuntia Ficus-Indica (Prickly Pear) Seed Oil
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Opuntia Ficus-Indica 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.”
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.
- Clarifying shampoos 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Clarifying shampoos without it
- Deep conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Deep conditioners without it
Every label, product by product (2)
- Maui Moisture Scalp Care Clarifying Shampoo with Apple Cider Vinegar Clarifying shampoo 12th of 34 names
- Bouclème Intensive Moisture Treatment Deep conditioner · listed as Opuntia Ficus-Indica (Prickly Pear) Seed Oil 9th of 50 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 emollient ingredients on these labels
- Cetearyl Alcohol 80 labels
- Cetyl Alcohol 45 labels
- Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil 31 labels
- Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil 25 labels
- Stearyl Alcohol 23 labels
- Glyceryl Stearate 15 labels
- Glycol Distearate 15 labels
- Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate 15 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.