FRAGRANCE
Fragrance
- fragrance
An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.
- products in our library
- 3013
- of researched products
- 75%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #13
- most common in
- Shampoo
- 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 specifically the label has to name it.
Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 2 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with shampoo | 4 of 5 |
| Declaration | Declared blend | 3 of 5 |
| Prominence | Secondary | 2 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Fragrance does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
A declared blend: the individual components are not named unless rules require it.
The "fragrance / parfum" line: a blend whose parts are not listed unless rules require it.
It does not truly dissolve, and ordinary shampooing removes it.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Shampoo
641 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Conditioner
574 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Leave-in
364 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Mask / treatment
291 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Heat protectant
129 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Finisher: oil
127 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: gel
119 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: mousse
117 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: paste
77 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Co-wash
75 products
|
secondary · #16 |
14 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: curl cream
75 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: hairspray
69 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Finisher: serum
67 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Finisher: shine spray
57 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: volumizer
55 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Scalp treatment
48 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: texture spray
48 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
42 products
|
secondary · #25 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
12 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: edge control
9 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: refresh spray
9 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Finisher: end oil
7 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: lotion
6 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Dry shampoo
1 product
|
secondary · #9 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 641 | 75% | 13 | 3 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 574 | 81% | 12 | 3 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 364 | 83% | 16 | 2 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 291 | 72% | 14 | 5 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 129 | 89% | 14 | 3 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 127 | 71% | 9 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 119 | 74% | 14 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 117 | 84% | 13 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 77 | 84% | 14 | 5 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 75 | 76% | 16 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 75 | 70% | 16 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 69 | 68% | 11 | 5 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 67 | 83% | 10 | 3 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 57 | 85% | 10 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 55 | 81% | 13 | 5 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 48 | 29% | 13 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 48 | 83% | 11 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 42 | 75% | 25 | 4 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 12 | 50% | 14 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 9 | 56% | 18 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: refresh spray | 9 | 69% | 15 | 3 | secondary |
| Finisher: end oil | 7 | 78% | 9 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 6 | 50% | 11 | 5 | secondary |
| Dry shampoo | 1 | 11% | 9 | 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 | 34 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 1035 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 1061 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 779 |
| 26+ | Trace | 688 |
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.
Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
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 scented product
- a product with a scent
- a product ordinary shampooing removes
- 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 fragrance, listed below the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- that the product will suit you if you react to scent
- 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.
- Benzyl Alcohol · 883
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 826
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 772
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 762
- Tocopherol · 731
- Cetyl Alcohol · 679
- Disodium EDTA · 669
- Citronellol · 639
- Caprylyl Glycol · 637
- Sodium Chloride · 628
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to carry the formula and let it dry, improve feel after rinsing, and give it a scent.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Creme of Nature · Leave-in
Argan Oil Day&Night Hair&Scalp Conditioner
#2 on the label · $0.86/oz
Garnier Fructis · Leave-in
Curl Nourish Knot Melter Anti-Breakage Detangling Milk
#2 on the label · $0.82/oz
Garnier Fructis · Leave-in
Sleek & Shine 10-in-1 Leave-In Spray
#2 on the label · $1.04/oz
Aussie · Leave-in
Hair Insurance Leave-In Conditioner
#3 on the label · $0.63/oz
Aussie · Styler
Miracle Curls 2nd Day Curl Activator
#3 on the label · $1.20/oz
Cantu · Finisher
Coconut Oil Shine & Hold Mist
#3 on the label · $1.25/oz
Cantu · Scalp treatment
Guava & Ginger Scalp Nourishing Treatment Serum
#3 on the label · $2.00/oz
Ceremonia · Heat protectant
Guava Rescue UV and Heat Protectant Spray
#3 on the label · $4.03/oz
Creme of Nature · Finisher
Pure Honey Silicone-Free Lightweight Shine Mist
#3 on the label · $1.95/oz
Davines · Leave-in
Beautiful Things Restoring Leave-in Mask
#3 on the label · $24.01/oz
Drybar · Leave-in
Mr. Incredible The Ultimate Leave-In Conditioner
#3 on the label · $4.53/oz
Garnier Fructis · Finisher
Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Anti-Frizz Serum
#3 on the label · $1.57/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Fragrance
- declared fragrance
- aroma
- food-grade fragrance
- fragrance
- fragrance (all natural)
- fragrance (aroma)
- fragrance (parfum)
- fragrance (parfum) citral
- fragrance (parfum)/parfum
- fragrance / parfum
- fragrance(parfum)
- fragrance/parfum
- natural fragrance
- parfum
- parfum (fragrance)
- parfum (natural)
- parfum / fragrance
- parfum /fragrance
- parfum fragrance
- parfum/fragrance
- parfum/fragrance/perfume
- perfume
- perfume (fragrance)
For your hair?
Whether Fragrance matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 1st most-listed fragrance ingredient 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
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 — 3013 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 2026-09-02. Product-page methodology: the product library.