What it is
The register’s chemical name for it: “Hyaluronic acid, sodium, salt.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- SODIUM HYALURONATE
- CAS number
- 9067-32-7
- EC number
- -
- Written on these labels as
- Sodium Hyaluronate; Sodium Hyaluronate (Hyaluronic Acid)
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Sodium Hyaluronate 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.”
- 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.
- Shampoos 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Shampoos without it
- Clarifying shampoos 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Clarifying shampoos without it
- Deep conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Deep conditioners without it
- Leave-in conditioners 2 labels First five names: 0 of 2 Leave-in conditioners without it
- Heat protectants 2 labels First five names: 0 of 2 Heat protectants without it
- Curl refreshers 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Curl refreshers without it
Every label, product by product (8)
- OLAPLEX No.4 Bond Maintenance Strengthening Shampoo Shampoo 13th of 78 names
- Ouidad Water Works Clarifying Shampoo Clarifying shampoo 9th of 33 names
- Cécred Moisturizing Deep Conditioner Deep conditioner 10th of 41 names
- Curlsmith Weightless Air Dry Cream Leave-in conditioner 11th of 33 names
- Cantu Ultra Moisture Nourishing Leave-In Conditioner Leave-in conditioner · listed as SODIUM HYALURONATE (HYALURONIC ACID) 14th of 37 names
- OLAPLEX Nº.9 Bond Protector Nourishing Hair Serum Heat protectant 6th of 31 names
- Bouclème Curl Defence Spray Heat protectant 20th of 35 names
- Curlsmith Shake & Shine Curl refresher 15th of 51 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
- PCA 5 labels
- Phytantriol 5 labels
- Xylitol 5 labels
- Anhydroxylitol 3 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.