BOTANICAL EXTRACT
Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract
- botanical extract
An extract from the root of Marshmallow (Althaea Officinalis). Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.
- products in our library
- 37
- of researched products
- 0.5%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #17
- most common in
- Conditioner
- in water
- Water-soluble
At a glance
Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.
A juice or water carries some; a dried extract carries little.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Prominence | Secondary | 2 of 5 |
| Water-binding | Minimal | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
What it contributes depends entirely on how much of it is in the bottle.
Most botanicals sit below the 1% line, where label order stops indicating amount.
Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Rinses out with water alone, so it does not build up on hair between washes.
Where it appears
Where it appears
One row per product category in our library: how many products list it, what share of that category that is, and where it typically sits on the label.
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Conditioner
7 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Leave-in
6 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Mask / treatment
6 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Styler: gel
6 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Shampoo
3 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: curl cream
2 products
|
secondary · #27 | |
Styler: mousse
2 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
2 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Co-wash
1 product
|
secondary · #16 | |
Heat protectant
1 product
|
secondary · #16 |
1 more product type
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
secondary · #22 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 7 | 1% | 17 | 13 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 6 | 1% | 19 | 2 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 6 | 1% | 21 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 6 | 2% | 9 | 5 | supporting |
| Shampoo | 3 | 0% | 18 | 11 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 2 | 1% | 27 | 14 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 2 | 1% | 19 | 12 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 2 | 2% | 10 | 1 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 1 | 1% | 16 | 16 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 1 | 0% | 16 | 16 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 3% | 22 | 22 | secondary |
We have not researched differences by product type yet. The reading below comes from where it sits on the labels in our library.
Position footprint
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 2 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 4 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 11 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 12 |
| 26+ | Trace | 8 |
How to read this
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order.
So position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
Why it matters to shoppers
What seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- plant-derived ingredients on the label
- a rinse-clean feel
- an exact safety score (we do not publish one for any ingredient)
- how a finished product performs, which depends on the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle, because label position never converts into a number
- a secondary botanical extract, listed below the main ingredients in our conditioners
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- a meaningful amount of the plant
- a meaningful amount of the plant (most sit below the 1% line)
- that a product is right or wrong for you
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
Commonly paired with
The ingredients that most often appear alongside this one in our library. We leave out the near-universal ones, because they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice · 19
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · 16
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 16
- Behentrimonium Methosulfate · 14
- Caprylyl Glycol · 13
- Tocopherol · 13
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter · 12
- Honey · 11
- Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil · 11
- Cetyl Alcohol · 11
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to give the formula body and hold, soften the strand, and improve feel after rinsing.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
It's a 10 · Styler
Silk Express Miracle Silk Smoothing Balm
#1 on the label · $4.40/oz
Kinky-Curly · Leave-in
Knot Today Natural Leave-In Detangler
#2 on the label · $2.12/oz
Kinky-Curly · Styler
Original Curling Custard Natural Styling Gel
#5 on the label · $2.87/oz
SheaMoisture · Leave-in
Coconut & Hibiscus Kids Extra-Moisturizing Detangler
#6 on the label · $1.12/oz
Uncle Funky's Daughter · Styler
Curly Magic Curl Stimulator
#6 on the label · $1.39/oz
The Doux · Styler
808 Base Gel
#8 on the label · $1.42/oz
Cantu · Styler
Protective Styles Braiding & Twisting Gel
#9 on the label · $1.02/oz
Eden BodyWorks · Mask / treatment
Almond Marshmallow Split End Repair Masque
#9 on the label · $0.45/oz
SheaMoisture · Leave-in
Silicone Free Miracle Styler Leave In Conditioner Spray with Sugarcane Extract and Meadowfoam Seed
#10 on the label · $1.86/oz
The Mane Choice · Mask / treatment
Heavenly Halo Herbal Hair Tonic & Soy Milk Deep Hydration Pre-Poo
#10 on the label · $2.25/oz
SheaMoisture · Shampoo
Men Moisturizing Shampoo - Raw Shea Butter & Mafura Oil
#11 on the label · $0.53/oz
Cantu · Styler
Protective Styles Set & Refresh Foam
#12 on the label · $0.95/oz
See all 37 products in the library that list Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract
- althaea officinalis (marshmallow) root extract
- marshmallow
- marshmallow root extract
- organic marshmallow root
- organic slippery elm
For your hair?
Whether Althaea Officinalis (Marshmallow) Root Extract matters for your hair depends on your hair.
37 products in our library list itWhat this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.
A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.
We do not physically test your hair. Everything above comes from the ingredient lists in our library and from published references. The consultation is what turns it into a plan.
References
Seed entry, sourcing in progress Written from our reference work; primary sourcing is still being attached.
No published source is attached to this entry yet.
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 37 of 6816 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one comes from what kind of ingredient it is (its chemical class, charge and solubility) or from where it sits on the labels we have.
- US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Position tells you about relative amount only above that line, and we never convert a position into a percentage.
- The prominence bands (leading, supporting, secondary) are the same ones the product pages use to read a single label, applied here to the median position across a category.
- We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades. Where a regulator has published a restriction or a use condition, we state it and cite it; otherwise we describe what the ingredient does and stop.
- Identifiers and references appear only when a published source is attached to this entry. Without one, we leave the row out rather than fill it in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-09-22. Product-page methodology: the product library.
