SILICONE
Amodimethicone
- silicone
A silicone modified to stick where hair is damaged, so it smooths selectively instead of coating everything. It resists rinsing more than plain dimethicone.
- products in our library
- 454
- of researched products
- 12%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #10
- most common in
- Conditioner
- in water
- Water-dispersible
At a glance
Four named levels, read from this ingredient’s chemical class, its charge, its solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have. More dots means more of the property named — never “better”.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
How much easier it makes a comb pass.
How much the class is felt on fine hair.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 2 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Stays where hair is damaged | 2 of 5 |
| Slip | High | 5 of 5 |
| Weight | Noticeable | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Amodimethicone does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Fills the gaps between lifted cuticle scales so light reflects evenly.
Lowers the drag a comb feels, which is most of what "detangling" means.
Included for feel and detangling rather than for cleaning or structure.
The film is what holds a shape once the water has gone.
Charge
Positively charged, so it is drawn to the negatively charged, damaged areas of hair and stays behind after rinsing. That is why conditioning happens where the wear is.
Solubility
Spreads through water without truly dissolving, and normal shampooing removes it.
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
131 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Leave-in
79 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Mask / treatment
79 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Shampoo
74 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Heat protectant
32 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Co-wash
19 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Finisher: serum
7 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Finisher: oil
6 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: mousse
6 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: texture spray
5 products
|
secondary · #13 |
9 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: smoothing cream
4 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Finisher: shine spray
3 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Scalp treatment
2 products
|
secondary · #29 | |
Styler: curl cream
2 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: gel
1 product
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: hairspray
1 product
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: volumizer
1 product
|
secondary · #13 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 131 | 19% | 10 | 2 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 79 | 19% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Mask / treatment | 79 | 20% | 8 | 3 | supporting |
| Shampoo | 74 | 9% | 16 | 2 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 32 | 22% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Co-wash | 19 | 19% | 13 | 6 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 7 | 9% | 5 | 3 | supporting |
| Finisher: oil | 6 | 3% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: mousse | 6 | 4% | 13 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 5 | 9% | 13 | 12 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 4 | 7% | 14 | 3 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 3 | 5% | 9 | 8 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 2 | 1% | 29 | 25 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 2 | 2% | 12 | 9 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 4% | 4 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: gel | 1 | 1% | 9 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 1 | 1% | 8 | 8 | supporting |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 8% | 4 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: volumizer | 1 | 2% | 13 | 13 | secondary |
No product-type differences have been researched yet — the reading below is computed 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 | 54 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 186 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 161 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 95 |
| 26+ | Trace | 27 |
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.
Who should pay attention
Conditional formulation guidance, scoped to a hair condition and to the positions where it is meaningful. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, and not a conclusion about you.
A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
Amino-functional silicone carries a positive charge, so it binds where the cuticle is worn rather than coating evenly. Damaged areas get most of it.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
Damage strips the 18-MEA layer off the cuticle and leaves the surface underneath more negatively charged. An amine-functional silicone picks up a positive charge in an acidic conditioner and binds hardest exactly there, rather than coating evenly.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients, positions 4–8 or the lower half of the ordered list.Better than the class read suggests, but not exempt: the deposited films carry like charges and repel each other, so it layers on itself far less readily than an uncharged silicone. It is still a silicone film that ordinary washing may not fully remove.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients, positions 4–8 or the lower half of the ordered list.How rigid the finish is depends on which polymer it is and what the formula pairs with it, not on there being one.
Near the top of a list, a conditioning film adds weight that fine hair loses volume to.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients or positions 4–8.Rows marked “researched” were read for this ingredient and cited below; the rest are read from its chemical class.
Why it matters to shoppers
What this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- slip and surface smoothing
- easier combing
- a style that holds
- a product ordinary shampooing removes
- an exact safety score — we do not publish one, for any ingredient
- how a finished product performs by itself — that is the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle — label position never converts into a number
- a secondary silicone, listed below the main ingredients in our conditioners
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- it is meant to stay on the hair rather than rinse away
- buildup — the water-soluble ones rinse out with ordinary shampoo
- 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.
Why some people avoid it
A conditioning agent that lays a smooth film on the cuticle, which is what delivers slip, shine and frizz control.
The water-insoluble ones need a detergent wash to remove, so on a routine that avoids detergent they accumulate and can leave hair feeling coated. That is the curly-method objection, and it is about buildup rather than harm. Water-soluble silicones rinse out and do not raise it.
Where regulators stand: Permitted. Some cyclic silicones are restricted in the EU on environmental grounds — persistence in waterways — rather than for anything to do with skin.
A formulation preference, not a regulatory finding
Commonly paired with
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 318
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 237
- Trideceth-12 · 187
- Isopropyl Alcohol · 170
- Dimethicone · 170
- Benzyl Alcohol · 168
- Disodium EDTA · 151
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 147
- Propylene Glycol · 128
- Tocopherol · 117
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to improve feel after rinsing, clean and build foam, and carry the formula and let it dry.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
amika · Conditioner
Big Hit Volumizing Conditioner
#2 on the label · $2.89/oz
Bed Head · Leave-in
Knot This Time Anti-Breakage Detangling Spray
#2 on the label · $5.12/oz
Infusium 23 · Leave-in
23 PRO Original Vitamin Leave-In Hair Treatment
#2 on the label · $0.53/oz
Johnson's · Leave-in
No More Tangles Detangling Spray
#2 on the label · $0.54/oz
Kenra · Leave-in
Daily Provision
#2 on the label · $2.25/oz
Kerastase · Heat protectant
Chroma Absolu Serum Chroma Thermique
#2 on the label · $9.58/oz
Kerastase · Heat protectant
Discipline Fluidissime Thermique Heat Protecting Spray
#2 on the label · $9.80/oz
Odele · Leave-in
Leave-in Detangling Tonic for Hydration + Heat Protection
#2 on the label · $1.50/oz
Pureology · Conditioner
Pureology Hydrate Conditioner
#2 on the label · $3.61/oz
Pureology · Shampoo
Pureology Hydrate Shampoo
#2 on the label · $2.51/oz
Redken · Leave-in
Extreme Length Leave-In Conditioner
#2 on the label · $6.67/oz
Sexy Hair · Leave-in
Healthy Tri-Wheat Leave-In Conditioner
#2 on the label · $1.77/oz
See all 454 products in the library that list Amodimethicone
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Amodimethicone
- conditioning agent
- film former
- amodimethicon
- amodimethicone
For your hair?
Whether Amodimethicone matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 2nd most-listed silicone in our libraryWhat 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 is read 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.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory International Journal of Trichology — Gavazzoni Dias (2015) on amino-functional silicones: cationic bridging increases the affinity between hair and the silicone, and silicone types differ in deposition, adherence and wash-out capacity. · accessed 2026-08-30
- Editorial Lab Muffin Beauty Science (Michelle Wong, PhD chemistry) — Sets out the mechanism: amine groups protonate in an acidic conditioner and the resulting positive charge binds preferentially to damaged, more negatively charged sections where the 18-MEA layer has worn off; neighbouring films repel each other, so layering on itself is less likely than with an uncharged silicone. · accessed 2026-08-30
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 454 of 3889 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are named levels read from an ingredient’s chemical class, charge, solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have — never a score.
- 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; where none is, the row is simply absent rather than filled in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-08-31. Product-page methodology: the product library.