Ingredient on hair labels

Panax Ginseng Root Extract

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

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Panax Ginseng Root Extract is on 2 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 2 makers. Its uses in the EU ingredient register include hair conditioning, emollient and skin protecting. None of these labels names it among its first five ingredients.

What it is

In the register’s words: “Panax Ginseng Root Extract is an extract of the roots of the Ginseng, Panax ginseng, Araliaceae.”

EU register name (INCI)
PANAX GINSENG ROOT EXTRACT
CAS number
84650-12-4
EC number
283-493-7

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Panax Ginseng Root 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.

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.”

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.”

Skin protecting

Helps shield skin from outside factors. On a hair label it usually sits beside a conditioning role.

Register definition: “Helping to avoid harmful effects to the skin from external factors.”

Tonic

The register’s role for ingredients said to give skin and hair a feeling of well-being. Many plant extracts carry it.

Register definition: “Producing a feeling of well-being on skin and hair.”

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 (2)

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 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.