ANTIOXIDANT

BHT

antioxidant

A synthetic antioxidant that protects fragrance and oils from oxidising.

287products in our library

4%of researched products

usually #32on the label, in our conditioners

Conditionermost common in

Oil-solublein water

products in our library: 287
of researched products: 4%
on the label, in our conditioners: usually #32
most common in: Conditioner
in water: Oil-soluble

At a glance

Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.

Buildup risk Needs a cleanser

How much of it is left on hair between washes.

Rinse-out behaviour Rinses with a cleanser

What it takes to get it off the hair again.

Role Protects oils

What it is in the formula to protect.

Prominence in our conditioners Secondary

Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.

The same figures as a table. The at-a-glance levels for BHT.
Property	Level	Out of
Buildup risk	Needs a cleanser	4 of 5
Rinse-out behaviour	Rinses with a cleanser	2 of 5
Role	Protects oils	2 of 5
Prominence	Secondary	2 of 5

What it does for a formula

What BHT does

The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.

Stops oils turning

Protects the oils in the bottle rather than the hair.

Stays until washed

It takes a surfactant to remove, which matters on a low-detergent routine.

Charge

Not recorded not recorded for this entry

Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.

Solubility

Water-solubleOil-solubleWater-dispersibleInsolubleVolatile

Needs a surfactant to remove. On a low-detergent routine it can build up over time.

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 53 products	5%	secondary · #32
Shampoo 39 products	3%	secondary · #31
Mask / treatment 33 products	6%	secondary · #30
Leave-in 29 products	4%	secondary · #28
Styler: paste 23 products	12%	secondary · #24
Scalp treatment 14 products	5%	secondary · #36
Styler: hairspray 13 products	5%	secondary · #16
Finisher: oil 10 products	4%	secondary · #17
Styler: texture spray 10 products	10%	secondary · #25
Finisher: serum 9 products	7%	secondary · #14

Leading 1–3Supporting 4–8Secondary 9–15Lower 16–25Trace 26+

11 more product types

Product type	How common	Typical position on label ?
Heat protectant 9 products	4%	secondary · #21
Styler: curl cream 9 products	4%	secondary · #26
Styler: gel 8 products	3%	secondary · #27
Finisher: shine spray 7 products	7%	secondary · #25
Styler: mousse 6 products	3%	secondary · #35
Styler: smoothing cream 6 products	7%	secondary · #31
Dry shampoo 4 products	3%	secondary · #25
Styler: volumizer 2 products	1%	secondary · #25
Finisher: anti frizz finish 1 product	3%	secondary · #16
Finisher: end oil 1 product	13%	secondary · #13
Styler: lotion 1 product	3%	secondary · #19

The same figures as a table. Where BHT sits on the ingredient list, by product type.
Product type	Products	Share of category	Median position	Earliest position	Band
Conditioner	53	5%	32	11	secondary
Shampoo	39	3%	31	2	secondary
Mask / treatment	33	6%	30	8	secondary
Leave-in	29	4%	28	6	secondary
Styler: paste	23	12%	24	9	secondary
Scalp treatment	14	5%	36	15	secondary
Styler: hairspray	13	5%	16	10	secondary
Finisher: oil	10	4%	17	6	secondary
Styler: texture spray	10	10%	25	10	secondary
Finisher: serum	9	7%	14	11	secondary
Heat protectant	9	4%	21	11	secondary
Styler: curl cream	9	4%	26	11	secondary
Styler: gel	8	3%	27	14	secondary
Finisher: shine spray	7	7%	25	4	secondary
Styler: mousse	6	3%	35	19	secondary
Styler: smoothing cream	6	7%	31	15	secondary
Dry shampoo	4	3%	25	19	secondary
Styler: volumizer	2	1%	25	23	secondary
Finisher: anti frizz finish	1	3%	16	16	secondary
Finisher: end oil	1	13%	13	13	secondary
Styler: lotion	1	3%	19	19	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

Leading 1Supporting 4Secondary 41Lower 77Trace 164

Every listing in our library, by position on the label.

Every listing of BHT in our library, grouped by its position on the label.
Positions	Zone	Listings
1-3	Leading	1
4-8	Supporting	4
9-15	Secondary	41
16-25	Lower	77
26+	Trace	164

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 good sign if you want

oils that do not turn rancid in the bottle
something that lasts through the day

Less relevant if you want to know

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

Seeing it usually means

a secondary antioxidant, 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)

It does not automatically mean

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.

The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.

These ingredients tend to appear together to deliver a stated effect, soften the strand, 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.

Nizoral · Shampoo A-D Anti-Dandruff Shampoo #2 on the label · $8.68/oz

Creme of Nature · Finisher Pure Honey Silicone-Free Lightweight Shine Mist #4 on the label · $1.95/oz

CurlyKids · Finisher Curly Oil #6 on the label · $1.30/oz

DevaCurl · Leave-in Wash Day Wonder Time-Saving Slip Detangler #6 on the label · $2.63/oz

Rene Furterer · Mask / treatment Karité Nutri Intense Nourishing Oil #8 on the label · $12.54/oz

Paul Mitchell · Styler Dry Wax #9 on the label · $12.78/oz

Not Your Mother's · Styler Beach Babe Texturizing Dry Finish Spray #10 on the label · $1.82/oz

ORS · Styler Style Studio Stay Max Hold Styling Gel #10 on the label · $0.67/oz

Bed Head · Heat protectant A Glass Act Heat & UV Shield Oil #11 on the label · $5.34/oz DevaCurl · Styler Wave Maker™ #11 on the label · $5.40/oz

Garnier Fructis · Conditioner Pure Clean Fortifying Conditioner with Aloe Extract #11 on the label · $0.30/oz

IGK · Finisher Crybaby Anti-Frizz Smoothing Serum #11 on the label · $13.65/oz

See all 287 products in the library that list BHT

Identity

What this entry is, and what our references call it.

Two-dimensional structural depiction of BHT — Structure depiction from PubChem (public domain)

Canonical name

BHT

Identifiers

CAS 128-37-0
PubChem 31404

Most-listed rank

#10 of 57 preservatives and antioxidants in our library, by how many products list it

Also listed as

For your hair?

Whether BHT matters for your hair depends on your hair.

the 10th most-listed preservative or antioxidant in our library

What this page is

What this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.

What it is not

A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.

Next

Build your hair profile and let the whole library sort itself

Use products with this ingredient? Get free recall alerts for them.

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.

This ingredient

Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem : Compound identity: CID 31404, CAS 128-37-0, C15H24O · accessed 2026-08-28

How this page was made

Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 287 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.

BHT