EMOLLIENT
Ethylhexylglycerin
- emollient
A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.
- products in our library
- 1032
- of researched products
- 26%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #20
- 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.
Where the class sits between an ester and a butter.
How much it slows water leaving the strand.
| 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.
Smooths the feel of the strand without adding hold or cleaning.
Anything with water in it needs one, over the life of 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
193 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Shampoo
185 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Leave-in
155 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Mask / treatment
115 products
|
secondary · #22 | |
Styler: gel
77 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: mousse
56 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Heat protectant
49 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: curl cream
38 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Co-wash
26 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Scalp treatment
24 products
|
secondary · #19 |
13 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: smoothing cream
22 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: volumizer
18 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: paste
15 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Finisher: serum
10 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Finisher: oil
8 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: hairspray
8 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
7 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: refresh spray
6 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: texture spray
6 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Finisher: shine spray
5 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: edge control
5 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Finisher: end oil
2 products
|
secondary · #24 | |
Styler: lotion
2 products
|
secondary · #10 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 193 | 27% | 20 | 6 | secondary |
| Shampoo | 185 | 22% | 21 | 5 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 155 | 35% | 19 | 5 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 115 | 29% | 22 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 77 | 48% | 14 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 56 | 40% | 16 | 7 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 49 | 34% | 17 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 38 | 36% | 19 | 6 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 26 | 26% | 19 | 6 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 24 | 14% | 19 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 22 | 39% | 18 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 18 | 26% | 14 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 15 | 16% | 21 | 8 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 10 | 12% | 13 | 4 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 8 | 4% | 14 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 8 | 8% | 16 | 5 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 7 | 29% | 17 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: refresh spray | 6 | 46% | 14 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 6 | 10% | 12 | 8 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 5 | 7% | 20 | 18 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 5 | 31% | 12 | 6 | secondary |
| Finisher: end oil | 2 | 22% | 24 | 19 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 2 | 17% | 10 | 9 | secondary |
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
Every listing in our library, by position on the label.
| Positions | Zone | Listings |
|---|---|---|
| 1-3 | Leading | 0 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 44 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 376 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 490 |
| 26+ | Trace | 312 |
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.
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 this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- a softer feel
- a product that keeps over its shelf life
- a product ordinary shampooing removes
- less frizz and easier combing
- 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
- a secondary emollient, listed below the main ingredients in our conditioners
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- 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
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Tocopherol · 358
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 323
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 321
- Caprylyl Glycol · 260
- Cetyl Alcohol · 252
- Disodium EDTA · 248
- Benzyl Alcohol · 244
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 237
- Butylene Glycol · 222
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 221
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 · $16.79/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 · Styler
Super Sculpt Styling Glaze
#5 on the label · $1.48/oz
Sexy Hair · Leave-in
Core Flex Anti-Breakage Leave-In Reconstructor
#5 on the label · $2.50/oz
Aphogee · Shampoo
Shampoo for Damaged Hair
#6 on the label · $0.80/oz
Design Essentials · Styler
Almond & Avocado Honey & Shea Edge Tamer
#6 on the label · $3.51/oz
dpHUE · Conditioner
Cool Brunette Conditioner
#6 on the label · $3.50/oz
Goldwell · Conditioner
Bond Pro Fortifying Conditioner
#6 on the label · $1.41/oz
Goldwell · Mask / treatment
Dualsenses Bond Pro 60sec Treatment
#6 on the label · $3.83/oz
See all 1032 products in the library that list Ethylhexylglycerin
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Ethylhexylglycerin
- CAS 70445-33-9
- PubChem 9859093
- preservative
- ethylhexyl glycerin
- ethylhexylglycerin
- ethylhexylglycerin (biodegradable preservative)
- ethylhexylglycerin (incidental)
For your hair?
Whether Ethylhexylglycerin matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 2nd most-listed oil, butter or emollient 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 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 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 — 1032 of 4008 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are levels, not scores. Each one is read from what kind of ingredient it is — its chemical class, its charge, its 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; 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.