Ingredient on hair labels

Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil

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

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Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil is on 34 of the 177 hair-product labels we compare, from 13 makers. Its uses in the EU ingredient register are hair conditioning, emollient and skin conditioning. 10 of these labels name it among the first five ingredients.

What it is

In the register’s words: “Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil is the fixed oil expressed or extracted from seeds of the desert shrub, Jojoba, Simmondsia chinensis, Buxaceae.”

EU register name (INCI)
SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL
CAS number
90045-98-0
EC number
289-964-3
Written on these labels as
Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil; Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil

Labels often add a second name in brackets, so a label may say Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil where the register says SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL. Both are the same ingredient.

What the register lists it for

These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) 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.

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 conditioning

The register’s broad role for ingredients that keep skin in good condition. On a hair label it often sits beside a hair role, or marks a plant oil or extract.

Register definition: “Maintaining the skin in good condition.”

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 (34)

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.