EMULSIFIER
Ceteareth-20
- emulsifier
An emulsifier that holds oil and water together in a conditioner or cream.
- products in our library
- 263
- of researched products
- 4%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #11
- most common in
- Conditioner
- in water
- Water-dispersible
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 much oil it strips, as a class.
The foam the class is known for, not a measured volume.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 2 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with shampoo | 4 of 5 |
| Cleansing strength | Not a cleanser | 1 of 5 |
| Lather | Little | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Ceteareth-20 does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Without one, a cream separates in the bottle.
It does not truly dissolve, and ordinary shampooing removes it.
Hair neither pulls it in nor pushes it away.
Charge
Carries no charge, so it neither clings to hair nor is pushed away by it. Nonionic ingredients are the mild, pH-tolerant workhorses of a formula.
Solubility
Spreads through water without truly dissolving, and normal shampooing removes it.
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
53 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Styler: curl cream
42 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Styler: paste
41 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Leave-in
39 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Mask / treatment
34 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Co-wash
9 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Heat protectant
8 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
7 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Scalp treatment
6 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: edge control
4 products
|
leading · #3 |
10 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: hairspray
4 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Finisher: oil
3 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: gel
3 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: mousse
3 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: lotion
2 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
secondary · #19 | |
Finisher: serum
1 product
|
secondary · #15 | |
Styler: refresh spray
1 product
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: texture spray
1 product
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: volumizer
1 product
|
secondary · #15 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 53 | 5% | 11 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 42 | 18% | 11 | 2 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 41 | 21% | 7 | 2 | supporting |
| Leave-in | 39 | 6% | 10 | 4 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 34 | 6% | 16 | 3 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 9 | 9% | 12 | 3 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 8 | 4% | 9 | 5 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 7 | 9% | 8 | 5 | supporting |
| Scalp treatment | 6 | 2% | 12 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 4 | 11% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Styler: hairspray | 4 | 2% | 7 | 4 | supporting |
| Finisher: oil | 3 | 1% | 16 | 15 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 3 | 1% | 4 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: mousse | 3 | 1% | 8 | 7 | supporting |
| Styler: lotion | 2 | 6% | 7 | 6 | supporting |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 3% | 19 | 19 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 1 | 1% | 15 | 15 | secondary |
| Styler: refresh spray | 1 | 3% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: texture spray | 1 | 1% | 9 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 1 | 1% | 15 | 15 | 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 | 22 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 91 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 79 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 57 |
| 26+ | Trace | 14 |
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 stable cream that does not separate
- a product ordinary shampooing removes
- 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 emulsifier, 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)
- 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.
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 120
- Cetyl Alcohol · 114
- Caprylyl Glycol · 96
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 87
- Propylene Glycol · 77
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 77
- Benzyl Alcohol · 74
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter · 68
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 67
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · 63
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to soften the strand, hold on to water, and improve feel after rinsing.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
18.21 Man Made · Styler
Sweet Tobacco Medium Hold, High Shine Hair Styling Pomade
#2 on the label · $13.00/oz
Blind Barber · Styler
60 Proof Medium Hold Styling Wax
#2 on the label · $9.60/oz
Blind Barber · Styler
Bryce Harper Hair Clay
#2 on the label · $9.60/oz
DONNA'S RECIPE · Styler
Whipped Vanilla Cream Edge Gel
#2 on the label · $3.66/oz
inh HAIR · Styler
No Fly Zone Super Hold Hydrating Hair Pomade
#2 on the label · $9.00/oz
Moroccanoil · Styler
Strong Hold High Shine Sculpting Pomade - 2.6 oz
#2 on the label · $11.54/oz
Old Spice · Styler
Flexible Fiber Hair Styling Cream
#2 on the label · $4.50/oz
Uppercut Deluxe · Styler
Control Cream
#2 on the label · $5.17/oz
Uppercut Deluxe · Styler
Featherweight
#2 on the label · $8.91/oz
XMONDO · Styler
Super Gloss Shape + Shine Styling Balm
#2 on the label · $7.25/oz
Cantu · Mask / treatment
Acai Berry Revitalizing Treatment Masque
#3 on the label · $0.75/oz
Cantu · Co-wash
Shea Butter for Natural Hair Complete Conditioning Co-Wash
#3 on the label · $0.73/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Ceteareth-20
- ceteareth 20
- ceteareth-20
- cetearteth-20
For your hair?
Whether Ceteareth-20 matters for your hair depends on your hair.
263 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: 263 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.
