Ingredient on hair labels

PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate

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

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PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate is on 3 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 2 makers, most often in rinse-out conditioners. Its uses in the EU ingredient register include emollient, solvent and plasticizer. One of these labels names it among the first five ingredients.

What it is

In the register’s words: “Poly[oxy(methyl-1,2-ethanediyl)],alpha-(1-oxotetradecyl)-theta-phenoxy.”

EU register name (INCI)
PPG-3 BENZYL ETHER MYRISTATE
CAS number
642443-86-5

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate 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.”

Solvent

Dissolves other ingredients. Water is the most common; some alcohols and glycols carry this role too.

Register definition: “Dissolving other components of cosmetics. Solvents are usually liquids (aqueous and nonaqueous).”

Plasticizer

Keeps a styling film flexible instead of brittle.

Register definition: “Softening and making supple synthetic polumers that otherwise could not be easily deformed, spread or worked out.”

UV absorber

Protects the product in the bottle from UV light. It isn’t sun protection for your hair.

Register definition: “Protecting the cosmetic product from the effects of UV-light.”

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

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.