PROPELLANT
Butane
- propellant
A pressurised gas that pushes an aerosol out of the can and evaporates immediately.
- products in our library
- 156
- of researched products
- 2%
- on the label, in our dry shampoos
- usually #2
- most common in
- Dry shampoo
- in water
- Volatile
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.
How fast it leaves after the product is applied.
What is still on the hair once it has evaporated.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | None left behind | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Drying speed | Flashes off | 5 of 5 |
| Residue | None | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Butane does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
A liquefied gas that evaporates on contact and leaves nothing behind.
It carries the formula onto the hair and then leaves.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Evaporates after application rather than staying on the hair, so it leaves nothing behind to remove.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Dry shampoo
63 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Styler: mousse
27 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: hairspray
14 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: texture spray
14 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Finisher: shine spray
10 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Styler: volumizer
10 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Heat protectant
6 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Shampoo
5 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Leave-in
3 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
2 products
|
leading · #3 |
2 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Conditioner
1 product
|
leading · #3 | |
Finisher: oil
1 product
|
secondary · #21 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dry shampoo | 63 | 48% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Styler: mousse | 27 | 13% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Styler: hairspray | 14 | 6% | 3 | 1 | leading |
| Styler: texture spray | 14 | 14% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Finisher: shine spray | 10 | 10% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Styler: volumizer | 10 | 7% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Heat protectant | 6 | 3% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Shampoo | 5 | 0% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Leave-in | 3 | 0% | 19 | 1 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 2 | 2% | 3 | 3 | leading |
| Conditioner | 1 | 0% | 3 | 3 | leading |
| Finisher: oil | 1 | 0% | 21 | 21 | 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 | 121 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 28 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 2 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 5 |
| 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.
- an aerosol format
- nothing left on the hair
- 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 primary propellant near the top of the ingredient list in our dry shampoos
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- it is a carrier, not something left on the hair
- 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.
- Alcohol Denat. · 121
- Hydrofluorocarbon 152a · 98
- Isobutane · 89
- Propane · 76
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 49
- Citronellol · 44
- Silica · 35
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 35
- Benzyl Salicylate · 34
- Rice Starch · 33
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 absorb oil and add texture.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
amika · Heat protectant
The Shield Anti-Humidity Spray
#1 on the label
Batiste · Shampoo
Volumizing Dry Shampoo
#1 on the label · $2.89/oz
Bed Head · Heat protectant
No Fry Zone Dry Heat Protection Mist
#1 on the label · $4.67/oz
Davines · Dry shampoo
This is an Invisible Dry Shampoo
#1 on the label · $4.73/oz
IGK · Dry shampoo
Direct Flight Dry Shampoo
#1 on the label · $5.40/oz
John Frieda · Dry shampoo
Brilliant Brunette Dry Shampoo
#1 on the label · $3.14/oz
Kevin Murphy · Leave-in
Young.Again Dry Conditioner
#1 on the label · $4.15/oz
Kristin Ess · Heat protectant
450F Dry Finish Heat Protectant Spray
#1 on the label · $3.18/oz
Maria Nila · Dry shampoo
Dry Shampoo
#1 on the label · $6.09/oz
Not Your Mother's · Dry shampoo
Clean Freak Advanced Dry Shampoo
#1 on the label · $1.77/oz
Olaplex · Dry shampoo
Nº.4D Clean Volume Detox Dry Shampoo
#1 on the label · $14.35/oz
Philip Kingsley · Dry shampoo
Flaky Scalp Soothing Dry Shampoo
#1 on the label · $5.77/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Butane
- CAS 106-97-8
- PubChem 7843
- butane
- n-butane
For your hair?
Whether Butane matters for your hair depends on your hair.
156 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.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem : Compound identity: CID 7843, CAS 106-97-8, C4H10 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 156 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.
