PRESERVATIVE
Ammonium benzoate
- preservative
The ammonium salt of benzoic acid, used to protect a product from microbial spoilage.
Do not alias to sodium benzoate, benzyl benzoate, or benzoic acid; these are different substances. CAS 1863-63-4 per Health Canada.
- products in our library
- 10
- of researched products
- 0.1%
- on the label, in our styling hairsprays
- usually #8
- most common in
- Styler: hairspray
- in water
- Not recorded
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.
What it is in the formula to protect.
Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Not recorded | not recorded |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Not recorded | not recorded |
| Role | Keeps water-based formulas | 4 of 5 |
| Prominence | Supporting | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Ammonium benzoate does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Anything with water in it needs one, over the life of the bottle.
A little salt turns a thin detergent solution into a pourable gel.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Solubility is not recorded for this ingredient.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: hairspray
8 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: gel
1 product
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
1 product
|
supporting · #6 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Styler: hairspray | 8 | 3% | 8 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: gel | 1 | 0% | 9 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 1 | 1% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
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 | 0 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 6 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 4 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 0 |
| 26+ | Trace | 0 |
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.
- a product that keeps over its shelf life
- a thicker cleanser
- 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 supporting preservative alongside the main ingredients in our styling hairsprays
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- that the product would be better without one
- 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.
- Aminomethyl Propanol · 10
- Alcohol Denat. · 10
- Hydrofluorocarbon 152a · 7
- Triethyl Citrate · 6
- Citronellol · 6
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 6
- Benzyl Alcohol · 5
- VA/Crotonates/Vinyl Neodecanoate Copolymer · 4
- Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer · 4
- Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone · 4
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to keep the formula stable, carry the formula and let it dry, and give it a scent.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Nioxin · Styler
Pro Clinical Density Defend Strong Hold Hairspray
#6 on the label · $2.10/oz
Redken · Styler
SPRAY SMOOTH
#6 on the label · $4.27/oz
Sebastian · Styler
Shaper Medium Hold Flexible Hairspray
#6 on the label · $1.43/oz
Sebastian · Styler
Shaper Plus+ Strong Flexible-Hold Hairspray
#6 on the label · $2.23/oz
Suave · Styler
Max Hold Aerosol Unscented Hairspray
#7 on the label · $0.36/oz
Suave · Styler
Max Hold Aerosol Hairspray
#8 on the label · $0.36/oz
Joico · Styler
Flip Turn Volumizing Finishing Spray
#9 on the label · $2.50/oz
TRESemme · Styler
Ultra Hold Sculpting Gel
#9 on the label · $0.89/oz
Rusk · Styler
Thickr Hairspray
#10 on the label · $1.73/oz
Keratin Complex · Styler
Flex Hold Hairspray
#12 on the label · $1.44/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Ammonium Benzoate
- salt
- ammonium benzoate
For your hair?
Whether Ammonium benzoate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
10 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
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
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: 10 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 2026-09-11. Product-page methodology: the product library.
