What it is
In the register’s words: “Tapioca Starch is the starch obtained from tapioca. It consists primarily of amylose and amylopectin.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- TAPIOCA STARCH
- CAS number
- 9005-25-8
- EC number
- 232-679-6
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Tapioca Starch 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.
- Viscosity controlling
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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.
- Shampoos 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Shampoos without it
- Rinse-out conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Rinse-out conditioners without it
- Deep conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Deep conditioners without it
- Stylers 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Stylers without it
Every label, product by product (4)
- Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Shampoo Shampoo 19th of 24 names
- Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Conditioner Rinse-out conditioner 19th of 26 names
- Maui Moisture Heal & Hydrate + Shea Butter Hair Mask Deep conditioner 21st of 26 names
- Maui Moisture Curl Quench + Coconut Oil Curl Smoothie Styler 24th of 28 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 viscosity controlling ingredients on these labels
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter 57 labels
- Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate 5 labels
- Cellulose 4 labels
- Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch 4 labels
- Sodium Sulfate 4 labels
- Potassium Chloride 2 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.