CLAY
Bentonite
- clay
A clay that absorbs oil and gives a matte, gritty texture.
- products in our library
- 13
- of researched products
- 0.3%
- on the label, in our styling pastes
- usually #3
- most common in
- Styler: paste
- in water
- Insoluble
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 oil the solid takes up.
A solid at room temperature holds hair where it is put.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Needs a real cleanser | 5 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Removed mechanically | 1 of 5 |
| Absorbency | High | 5 of 5 |
| Grip | Noticeable | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Bentonite does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Takes up oil from hair and scalp and holds it until it is washed out.
Leaves texture behind, which is what makes hair hold a shape.
A dry solid that soaks up oil and leaves a matte, textured feel.
It dissolves in neither water nor oil, so it is removed by washing or brushing.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Does not dissolve in water or oil. It sits on the surface and is removed mechanically or by cleansing.
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: paste
9 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Conditioner
1 product
|
secondary · #30 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
1 product
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: texture spray
1 product
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: volumizer
1 product
|
secondary · #11 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Styler: paste | 9 | 10% | 3 | 1 | leading |
| Conditioner | 1 | 0% | 30 | 30 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 1 | 2% | 13 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 1 | 2% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: volumizer | 1 | 2% | 11 | 11 | 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 | 5 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 2 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 3 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 1 |
| 26+ | Trace | 3 |
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.
Absorbs oil and adds texture, which is what gives fine hair grip at the root instead of slip.
An absorbent solid takes up oil, and hair already short of it has less to give.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients, positions 4–8 or the lower half of the ordered list.Read from this ingredient’s chemical class. Where we have researched the ingredient itself, that reading replaces the class one.
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.
- oil absorption and texture
- oil absorption
- a visible surface effect
- body without weight on fine hair
- 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 primary clay near the top of the ingredient list in our styling pastes
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- 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
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Propylene Glycol · 7
- Eugenol · 6
- Tribehenin · 5
- Beeswax · 5
- Coumarin · 5
- Citronellol · 5
- Kaolin · 4
- Petrolatum · 4
- VP/VA Copolymer · 4
- Citral · 4
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to carry the formula and let it dry, give it a scent, and add grip.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Sexy Hair · Styler
Style Sexy Hair Matte Clay (Matte Texturizing Clay)
#1 on the label · $8.78/oz
Paul Mitchell · Styler
MITCH Dry Paste
#2 on the label · $8.00/oz
REUZEL · Styler
Liquid Death Severed Head Pomade
#2 on the label · $6.79/oz
18.21 Man Made · Styler
Sweet Tobacco High Hold, Low Shine, Hair Styling Wax
#3 on the label · $13.00/oz
Moroccanoil · Styler
Texture Clay
#3 on the label · $11.54/oz
Joico · Styler
Hair Shake Liquid-to-Powder Texturizing Finisher
#6 on the label · $4.90/oz
18.21 Man Made · Styler
Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, No Shine Hair Styling Clay
#8 on the label · $13.00/oz
Paul Mitchell · Styler
MITCH Calibrate Thickening Cream
#11 on the label · $8.00/oz
Uppercut Deluxe · Styler
Clay
#12 on the label · $8.70/oz
Living Proof · Styler
Style Lab Air-Dry Styler
#13 on the label · $9.42/oz
American Crew · Styler
Molding Clay
#22 on the label · $6.66/oz
Creme of Nature · Conditioner
Clay & Charcoal Soften & Moisture Replenish Conditioner
#30 on the label · $0.50/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Bentonite
- powder
- bentonite
For your hair?
Whether Bentonite matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 9th most-listed mineral, clay or powder 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
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 — 13 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 2026-08-28. Product-page methodology: the product library.