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Proteins and amino acids

CERAMIDE

Ceramide NG

  • ceramide

A lipid of the kind that sits naturally between cuticle scales, added to help hold a damaged surface together.

31products in our library
0.8%of researched products
usually #6on the label, in our conditioners
Conditionermost common in
Oil-solublein water
products in our library
31
of researched products
0.8%
on the label, in our conditioners
usually #6
most common in
Conditioner
in water
Oil-soluble

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”.

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.

Fragment size Lipid-sized

Smaller fragments travel further into the strand.

Stiffening potential in our conditioners Moderate

Read from where it sits on the labels we have, not from the molecule.

The same figures as a table. The at-a-glance levels for Ceramide NG.
PropertyLevelOut of
Buildup riskNeeds a cleanser4 of 5
Rinse-out behaviourRinses with a cleanser2 of 5
Fragment sizeLipid-sized3 of 5
Stiffening potentialModerate3 of 5

What it does for a formula

What Ceramide NG does

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

Replaces a surface lipid

Mimics a lipid the cuticle loses to bleaching and heat.

Softens the surface

Smooths the feel of the strand without adding hold or cleaning.

Stays until washed

It takes a surfactant to remove — worth knowing 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

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 12 products
supporting · #6
Shampoo 12 products
supporting · #6
Leave-in 3 products
secondary · #13
Co-wash 1 product
secondary · #12
Finisher: oil 1 product
secondary · #12
Scalp treatment 1 product
secondary · #20
Styler: curl cream 1 product
secondary · #15
Leading 1–3Supporting 4–8Secondary 9–15Lower 16–25Trace 26+
The same figures as a table. Where Ceramide NG sits on the ingredient list, by product type.
Product typeProductsShare of categoryMedian positionEarliest positionBand
Conditioner122%65supporting
Shampoo121%63supporting
Leave-in31%1310secondary
Co-wash11%1212secondary
Finisher: oil11%1212secondary
Scalp treatment11%2020secondary
Styler: curl cream11%1515secondary

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

Leading 1Supporting 15Secondary 12Lower 4Trace 1

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

Every listing of Ceramide NG in our library, grouped by its position on the label.
PositionsZoneListings
1-3Leading1
4-8Supporting15
9-15Secondary12
16-25Lower4
26+Trace1

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.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

Restoring surface lipids lowers friction between strands, which is where much of the roughness in damaged hair comes from.

May suitProtein-sensitive hair

A lipid, not a protein, despite sitting alongside proteins in most repair claims. It does not carry the stiffening effect.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

Ceramides are the lipid class bleaching and heat deplete. Replacing them works on the surface layer rather than adding protein stiffness.

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.

A good sign if you want
  • surface lipids replaced after bleaching or heat
  • a softer feel
  • something that lasts through the day
  • less frizz and easier combing
Less relevant if you want to know
  • 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
Seeing it usually means
  • a supporting ceramide alongside 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 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

Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — 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 keep the formula stable, firm up damaged areas, 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.

See all 31 products in the library that list Ceramide NG

Identity

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

Two-dimensional structural depiction of Ceramide NG
Structure depiction from PubChem (public domain)
Canonical name

Ceramide NG

Identifiers
Most-listed rank

#34 of 102 proteins and amino acids in our library, by how many products list it

Also classified as
  • emollient
Also listed as
  • ceramide ng
Suits every hair pattern

For your hair?

Whether Ceramide NG matters for your hair depends on your hair.

31 products in our library list it
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.

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 PubChem — Compound identity: CID 5283573, CAS 2304-80-5, C36H73NO3 · accessed 2026-08-28

How this page was made

  • Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 31 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.