SOLVENT
Hexylene Glycol
- solvent
A solvent that keeps other ingredients dissolved and helps preservatives work.
- products in our library
- 385
- of researched products
- 6%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #14
- most common in
- Shampoo
- 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 Hexylene 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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Shampoo
156 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Conditioner
58 products
|
secondary · #26 | |
Leave-in
25 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Mask / treatment
21 products
|
secondary · #24 | |
Scalp treatment
18 products
|
secondary · #23 | |
Styler: gel
17 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Heat protectant
13 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: paste
13 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: curl cream
12 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: mousse
11 products
|
secondary · #17 |
13 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: volumizer
9 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
5 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: texture spray
5 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Finisher: serum
4 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: refresh spray
4 products
|
secondary · #25 | |
Dry shampoo
3 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Co-wash
2 products
|
secondary · #30 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
2 products
|
secondary · #30 | |
Finisher: oil
2 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: hairspray
2 products
|
secondary · #23 | |
Finisher: shine spray
1 product
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: edge control
1 product
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
secondary · #18 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 156 | 10% | 14 | 5 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 58 | 5% | 26 | 7 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 25 | 4% | 18 | 10 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 21 | 4% | 24 | 9 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 18 | 6% | 23 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 17 | 6% | 18 | 4 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 13 | 6% | 16 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 13 | 7% | 19 | 12 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 12 | 5% | 17 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 11 | 5% | 17 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 9 | 6% | 16 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 5 | 6% | 17 | 16 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 5 | 5% | 15 | 13 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 4 | 3% | 8 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: refresh spray | 4 | 11% | 25 | 18 | secondary |
| Dry shampoo | 3 | 2% | 13 | 8 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 2 | 2% | 30 | 17 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 2 | 6% | 30 | 19 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 2 | 1% | 20 | 17 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 2 | 1% | 23 | 17 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 1 | 1% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: edge control | 1 | 3% | 14 | 14 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 3% | 18 | 18 | 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 | 0 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 43 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 102 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 147 |
| 26+ | Trace | 93 |
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 shampoos
- 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.
- Caprylyl Glycol · 263
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 156
- Benzyl Alcohol · 145
- Sodium Hydroxide · 129
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 128
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 126
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 120
- Hydrolyzed Silk · 114
- Benzyl Benzoate · 114
- Propylene Glycol · 106
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to hold on to water, soften the strand, and carry the formula and let it dry.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Color Wow · Finisher
Pop & Lock Frizz Control & Glossing Serum
#4 on the label · $13.33/oz
Color Wow · Finisher
Pop & Lock High Gloss Finish
#4 on the label · $13.33/oz
Paul Mitchell · Styler
Straight Works Serum Gel
#4 on the label · $5.10/oz
Redken · Styler
BIG BLOWOUT Volumizing Heat Protecting Blowout Jelly
#4 on the label · $7.18/oz
Sun Bum · Heat protectant
Heat Protector
#4 on the label · $2.83/oz
Kerastase · Shampoo
Resistance Bain Force Architecte Shampoo
#5 on the label · $4.70/oz
L'Oreal Professionnel · Shampoo
[Vitamino Color Spectrum] Purple Shampoo
#5 on the label · $2.80/oz
Act+Acre · Scalp treatment
Scalp Relief Cooling Serum
#6 on the label · $30.91/oz
Color Wow · Scalp treatment
Youth Juice Collagen Scalp Serum
#6 on the label · $27.06/oz
Garnier Fructis · Shampoo
Pure Clean Fortifying Shampoo + Aloe Extract
#6 on the label · $0.36/oz
Garnier Fructis · Shampoo
Pure Moisture Shampoo
#6 on the label · $0.44/oz
Proclaim Blends · Finisher
Moisturizing Braid & Shine Spray
#6 on the label · $0.87/oz
See all 385 products in the library that list Hexylene Glycol
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Hexylene Glycol
- CAS 107-41-5
- PubChem 7870
- humectant
- hexylene glycol
For your hair?
Whether Hexylene Glycol matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 8th 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 7870, CAS 107-41-5, C6H14O2 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 385 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.
