SOLVENT
Dipropylene Glycol
- solvent
A light humectant and solvent that helps fragrance and extracts dissolve evenly.
- products in our library
- 362
- of researched products
- 5%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #9
- most common in
- Conditioner
- in water
- Water-soluble
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 | Low | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Drying speed | Steady | 2 of 5 |
| Residue | Minimal | 2 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Dipropylene Glycol 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.
Binds water and holds it against the hair rather than adding oil.
What a humectant does depends on the air around it as much as on the formula.
Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Rinses out with water alone, so it does not build up on hair between washes.
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
127 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Leave-in
47 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Mask / treatment
46 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Shampoo
43 products
|
secondary · #26 | |
Heat protectant
20 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Scalp treatment
12 products
|
secondary · #22 | |
Styler: curl cream
10 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
8 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: mousse
8 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
8 products
|
supporting · #6 |
10 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Finisher: serum
5 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: gel
5 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: texture spray
5 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Finisher: oil
4 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: hairspray
4 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: refresh spray
3 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: volumizer
3 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Finisher: shine spray
2 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Co-wash
1 product
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
secondary · #15 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 127 | 11% | 9 | 3 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 47 | 7% | 12 | 2 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 46 | 8% | 9 | 4 | supporting |
| Shampoo | 43 | 3% | 26 | 3 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 20 | 10% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Scalp treatment | 12 | 4% | 22 | 2 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 10 | 4% | 15 | 7 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 8 | 25% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: mousse | 8 | 4% | 11 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 8 | 10% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Finisher: serum | 5 | 4% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: gel | 5 | 2% | 12 | 2 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 5 | 5% | 9 | 4 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 4 | 1% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Styler: hairspray | 4 | 2% | 12 | 2 | secondary |
| Styler: refresh spray | 3 | 9% | 6 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: volumizer | 3 | 2% | 16 | 8 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 2 | 2% | 8 | 2 | supporting |
| Co-wash | 1 | 1% | 16 | 16 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 3% | 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 | 39 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 105 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 96 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 60 |
| 26+ | Trace | 62 |
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.
Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it adds less weight than oils or butters do.
A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.
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
- hydration rather than oil
- a rinse-clean feel
- body without weight on fine 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 secondary solvent, 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.
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 194
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 155
- Disodium EDTA · 153
- Dimethicone · 124
- Lactic Acid · 123
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 120
- Amodimethicone · 110
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 109
- Caprylyl Glycol · 106
- Benzyl Alcohol · 104
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to improve feel after rinsing, keep the formula stable, 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.
CHI · Styler
Royal Treatment Humidity Control
#2 on the label · $4.42/oz
Color Wow · Heat protectant
Dream Coat Supernatural Spray
#2 on the label · $4.48/oz
Color Wow · Finisher
Extra Strength Dream Coat
#2 on the label · $4.78/oz
Drybar · Heat protectant
Liquid Glass Miracle Smoothing Sealant
#2 on the label · $5.82/oz
Drybar · Finisher
Liquid Glass Moisture-Rich Miracle Smoothing Sealant
#2 on the label · $5.63/oz
It's a 10 · Leave-in
Miracle Blow Dry H2O Shield
#2 on the label · $8.00/oz
John Frieda · Heat protectant
Frizz Ease Smooth Operator Blowout Spray
#2 on the label · $1.62/oz
John Frieda · Heat protectant
Smooth Operator Blow Out Spray
#2 on the label · $2.59/oz
Kevin Murphy · Leave-in
Ever.Smooth
#2 on the label · $8.04/oz
L'Oreal Paris · Finisher
EverPure Bond Repair+ Oil-in-Serum
#2 on the label · $7.18/oz
Matrix · Styler
A Curl Can Dream Light Hold Gel
#2 on the label · $3.82/oz
Matrix · Finisher
Instacure Build-A-Bond Billion Bond Oil
#2 on the label · $21.25/oz
See all 362 products in the library that list Dipropylene Glycol
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Dipropylene Glycol
- CAS 25265-71-8
- PubChem 134692469
- humectant
- dipropylene glycol
For your hair?
Whether Dipropylene Glycol matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 10th most-listed solvent or propellant in our libraryWhat 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 134692469, CAS 25265-71-8, C12H28O6 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 362 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.
