EMOLLIENT

Ethylhexylglycerin

emollient

A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.

1904products in our library

28%of researched products

usually #21on the label, in our conditioners

Conditionermost common in

Water-dispersiblein water

products in our library: 1904
of researched products: 28%
on the label, in our conditioners: usually #21
most common in: Conditioner
in water: Water-dispersible

At a glance

Four things worth knowing about how this ingredient behaves on hair.

Buildup risk Low

How much of it is left on hair between washes.

Rinse-out behaviour Rinses with shampoo

What it takes to get it off the hair again.

Weight Light

Where the class sits between an ester and a butter.

Sealing Light

How much it slows water leaving the strand.

The same figures as a table. The at-a-glance levels for Ethylhexylglycerin.
Property	Level	Out of
Buildup risk	Low	2 of 5
Rinse-out behaviour	Rinses with shampoo	4 of 5
Weight	Light	2 of 5
Sealing	Light	2 of 5

What it does for a formula

What Ethylhexylglycerin does

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

Softens the surface

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

Keeps the formula stable

Anything with water in it needs one, over the life of the bottle.

Spreads through water

It does not truly dissolve, and ordinary shampooing removes it.

Carries no charge

Hair neither pulls it in nor pushes it away.

Charge

Nonionic (no 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

Water-solubleOil-solubleWater-dispersibleInsolubleVolatile

Spreads through water without truly dissolving, and normal shampooing removes it.

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 335 products	30%	secondary · #21
Shampoo 333 products	21%	secondary · #21
Leave-in 241 products	35%	secondary · #19
Mask / treatment 185 products	32%	secondary · #22
Styler: gel 147 products	55%	secondary · #12
Styler: curl cream 93 products	41%	secondary · #19
Styler: mousse 91 products	45%	secondary · #16
Scalp treatment 88 products	30%	secondary · #20
Heat protectant 70 products	34%	secondary · #17
Styler: paste 45 products	23%	secondary · #18

Leading 1–3Supporting 4–8Secondary 9–15Lower 16–25Trace 26+

14 more product types

Product type	How common	Typical position on label ?
Styler: volumizer 45 products	31%	secondary · #15
Styler: smoothing cream 33 products	41%	secondary · #18
Finisher: serum 28 products	20%	secondary · #17
Styler: hairspray 27 products	11%	secondary · #15
Co-wash 26 products	26%	secondary · #23
Styler: texture spray 22 products	22%	secondary · #16
Styler: edge control 20 products	53%	secondary · #16
Styler: refresh spray 18 products	51%	secondary · #14
Finisher: oil 15 products	5%	secondary · #14
Styler: lotion 14 products	39%	secondary · #18
Finisher: anti frizz finish 12 products	38%	secondary · #18
Finisher: shine spray 9 products	9%	secondary · #20
Dry shampoo 6 products	5%	secondary · #15
Finisher: end oil 1 product	13%	secondary · #19

The same figures as a table. Where Ethylhexylglycerin sits on the ingredient list, by product type.
Product type	Products	Share of category	Median position	Earliest position	Band
Conditioner	335	30%	21	6	secondary
Shampoo	333	21%	21	5	secondary
Leave-in	241	35%	19	5	secondary
Mask / treatment	185	32%	22	5	secondary
Styler: gel	147	55%	12	4	secondary
Styler: curl cream	93	41%	19	6	secondary
Styler: mousse	91	45%	16	7	secondary
Scalp treatment	88	30%	20	9	secondary
Heat protectant	70	34%	17	8	secondary
Styler: paste	45	23%	18	8	secondary
Styler: volumizer	45	31%	15	6	secondary
Styler: smoothing cream	33	41%	18	7	secondary
Finisher: serum	28	20%	17	4	secondary
Styler: hairspray	27	11%	15	5	secondary
Co-wash	26	26%	23	6	secondary
Styler: texture spray	22	22%	16	5	secondary
Styler: edge control	20	53%	16	6	secondary
Styler: refresh spray	18	51%	14	8	secondary
Finisher: oil	15	5%	14	7	secondary
Styler: lotion	14	39%	18	5	secondary
Finisher: anti frizz finish	12	38%	18	8	secondary
Finisher: shine spray	9	9%	20	10	secondary
Dry shampoo	6	5%	15	5	secondary
Finisher: end oil	1	13%	19	19	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

Leading 0Supporting 71Secondary 591Lower 743Trace 499

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

Every listing of Ethylhexylglycerin in our library, grouped by its position on the label.
Positions	Zone	Listings
1-3	Leading	0
4-8	Supporting	71
9-15	Secondary	591
16-25	Lower	743
26+	Trace	499

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.

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

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 good sign if you want

a softer feel
a product that keeps over its shelf life
a product ordinary shampooing removes
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, 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

Seeing it usually means

a secondary emollient, 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)

It does not automatically mean

that the product would be better without one
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.

The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.

These ingredients tend to appear together to deliver a stated effect, improve feel after rinsing, and hold on to water.

Found in these products

The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.

OGX · Finisher ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Serum Mist - Thicken & Protect #4 on the label · $1.92/oz

UNITE Hair · Styler Hair Gel #4 on the label · $2.94/oz

Design Essentials · Styler Contours Protein Styling Gel #5 on the label · $0.94/oz

Not Your Mother's · Dry shampoo Dry Shampoo Powder #5 on the label · $11.99/oz

Oribe · Mask / treatment Mirror Rinse Glass Hair Treatment #5 on the label · $12.20/oz

Paul Mitchell · Shampoo Clear Essential Shampoo #5 on the label · $1.97/oz

Paul Mitchell · Mask / treatment Clear Jelly Mask #5 on the label

Paul Mitchell · Styler Clear Styling Glaze #5 on the label · $4.12/oz

Paul Mitchell · Leave-in Color Protect Locking Spray #5 on the label · $2.35/oz

Paul Mitchell · Styler Hair Sculpting Lotion #5 on the label · $1.53/oz

Paul Mitchell · Styler Super Sculpt Styling Glaze #5 on the label · $1.48/oz

REUZEL · Styler Surf Tonic Sea Salt Spray #5 on the label · $1.58/oz

See all 1904 products in the library that list Ethylhexylglycerin

Identity

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

Canonical name

Ethylhexylglycerin

Identifiers

CAS 70445-33-9
PubChem 9859093

Most-listed rank

#2 of 361 oils, butters and emollients in our library, by how many products list it

Also classified as

preservative

Also listed as

e thylhexylglycerin
ethylhexlglycerin
ethylhexlyglycerin
ethylhexyl glycerin
ethylhexylglycerin
ethylhexylglycerin (biodegradable preservative)
ethylhexylglycerin (incidental)
ethylhexylgycerin

For your hair?

Whether Ethylhexylglycerin matters for your hair depends on your hair.

the 2nd most-listed oil, butter or emollient in our library

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.

Next

Build your hair profile and let the whole library sort itself

Use products with this ingredient? Get free recall alerts for them.

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 9859093, CAS 70445-33-9, C11H24O3 · accessed 2026-08-28

How this page was made

Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 1904 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.

Ethylhexylglycerin

What Ethylhexylglycerin does

Where it appears

Position footprint

Whether Ethylhexylglycerin matters for your hair depends on your hair.

References

This ingredient

How this page was made

Hair Care Consultation