What it is
The register’s chemical name for it: “Triglycerol.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- POLYGLYCERIN-3
- CAS number
- 56090-54-1
- EC number
- 259-986-8
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Polyglycerin-3 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.
- 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.”
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.
- Shampoos 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Shampoos without it
- Deep conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Deep conditioners without it
Every label, product by product (2)
- OLAPLEX Nº.4CURL Bond Shaper Hydrating Curl Shampoo Shampoo 43rd of 62 names
- PATTERN Intensive Conditioner Deep conditioner 20th of 26 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 humectant ingredients on these labels
- Propylene Glycol 22 labels
- Honey 19 labels
- Butylene Glycol 14 labels
- Sorbitol 11 labels
- Sodium Hyaluronate 8 labels
- PCA 5 labels
- Phytantriol 5 labels
- Xylitol 5 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.