Ingredient on hair labels

PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate

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

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PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate is on 2 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, all of them shampoos, from 1 maker. Its uses in the EU ingredient register are cleansing, emollient and viscosity controlling. Every one of these labels names it among its first five ingredients.

What it is

In the register’s words: “Poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl), .alpha.-hydro-.omega.-hydroxy-, ether with methyl d-glucopyranoside-tris[(Z)-9-octadecenoate], (120 mol EO average molar ratio).”

EU register name (INCI)
PEG-120 METHYL GLUCOSE TRIOLEATE

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate 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.

Cleansing

The register’s general role for ingredients that help clean, from washing ingredients to some plant extracts.

Register definition: “Helping to keep the body surface clean.”

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.”

Viscosity controlling

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.”

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 cleansing 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.