SOLVENT
C13-14 Isoparaffin
- solvent
A light carrier used to spread silicones and polymers thinly.
- products in our library
- 46
- of researched products
- 0.7%
- on the label, in our leave-ins
- usually #10
- most common in
- Leave-in
- 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 | Steady | 2 of 5 |
| Residue | None | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What C13-14 Isoparaffin does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
What everything else is dissolved in before it reaches your hair.
Smooths the feel of the strand without adding hold or cleaning.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Leave-in
7 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: curl cream
7 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: paste
7 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Heat protectant
4 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Styler: mousse
4 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
4 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Finisher: serum
3 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Finisher: oil
2 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Styler: edge control
2 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: volumizer
2 products
|
secondary · #14 |
4 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
supporting · #7 | |
Finisher: shine spray
1 product
|
leading · #1 | |
Styler: gel
1 product
|
supporting · #7 | |
Styler: refresh spray
1 product
|
secondary · #9 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leave-in | 7 | 1% | 10 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 7 | 3% | 13 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 7 | 4% | 12 | 10 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 4 | 2% | 9 | 5 | supporting |
| Styler: mousse | 4 | 2% | 10 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 4 | 5% | 7 | 6 | supporting |
| Finisher: serum | 3 | 2% | 9 | 8 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 2 | 1% | 9 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: edge control | 2 | 5% | 10 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 2 | 1% | 14 | 10 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 3% | 7 | 7 | supporting |
| Finisher: shine spray | 1 | 1% | 1 | 1 | leading |
| Styler: gel | 1 | 0% | 7 | 7 | supporting |
| Styler: refresh spray | 1 | 3% | 9 | 9 | 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 | 2 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 14 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 22 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 6 |
| 26+ | Trace | 2 |
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
Formulation guidance for specific hair conditions, limited to the label positions where it applies. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, or about you.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
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 seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- a light, fast-drying formula
- a softer feel
- nothing left on the hair
- less frizz and easier combing
- 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 secondary solvent, listed below the main ingredients in our leave-ins
- 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.
- Laureth-7 · 43
- Polyacrylamide · 43
- Dimethicone · 20
- Propylene Glycol · 16
- Citronellol · 16
- PVP · 15
- Caprylyl Glycol · 15
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 15
- Benzyl Alcohol · 14
- VP/VA Copolymer · 12
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to clean and build foam, give the formula body and hold, and smooth the surface.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Creme of Nature · Finisher
Argan Oil from Morocco Replenishing Sheen Spray
#1 on the label · $0.40/oz
Olaplex · Finisher
No.7 Bonding Hair Oil
#3 on the label · $31.68/oz
Kerastase · Heat protectant
Discipline Kératine Thermique
#5 on the label · $9.02/oz
Not Your Mother's · Styler
Defining Cream
#5 on the label · $2.50/oz
CHI · Styler
Straight Guard
#6 on the label · $1.88/oz
OGX · Styler
Moroccan Curling Perfection Defining Cream
#6 on the label · $5.16/oz
Wella · Leave-in
Ultimate Repair Protective Leave-In
#6 on the label · $7.63/oz
d:fi · Styler
De-Frizz + Tame
#7 on the label · $1.67/oz
Kenra Professional · Styler
Platinum Boosting Spray Foam 17
#7 on the label · $3.13/oz
Redken · Styler
BIG BLOWOUT Volumizing Heat Protecting Blowout Jelly
#7 on the label · $7.18/oz
Rusk · Heat protectant
Blow Dry Balm
#7 on the label · $5.25/oz
Sexy Hair · Leave-in
Core Flex Anti-Breakage Leave-In Reconstructor
#7 on the label · $2.50/oz
See all 46 products in the library that list C13-14 Isoparaffin
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
C13-14 Isoparaffin
- emollient
- c13-14 isoparaffin
For your hair?
Whether C13-14 Isoparaffin matters for your hair depends on your hair.
46 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
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: 46 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.
