Skip to main content
Fragrance

NAMED FRAGRANCE ALLERGEN

Hydroxycitronellal

  • named fragrance allergen

A soft floral fragrance component named separately as a recognised allergen.

333products in our library
9%of researched products
usually #28on the label, in our leave-ins
Leave-inmost common in
Oil-solublein water
products in our library
333
of researched products
9%
on the label, in our leave-ins
usually #28
most common in
Leave-in
in water
Oil-soluble

At a glance

Four named levels, read from this ingredient’s chemical class, its charge, its solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have. More dots means more of the property named — never “better”.

Buildup risk Needs a cleanser

How much of it is left on hair between washes.

Rinse-out behaviour Rinses with a cleanser

What it takes to get it off the hair again.

Declaration Named allergen

How specifically the label has to name it.

Prominence in our leave-ins Secondary

Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.

The same figures as a table. The at-a-glance levels for Hydroxycitronellal.
PropertyLevelOut of
Buildup riskNeeds a cleanser4 of 5
Rinse-out behaviourRinses with a cleanser2 of 5
DeclarationNamed allergen5 of 5
ProminenceSecondary2 of 5

What it does for a formula

What Hydroxycitronellal does

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

Gives it a scent

A declared blend: the individual components are not named unless rules require it.

A named scent component

EU rules require this one to be listed by name rather than inside "fragrance".

Stays until washed

It takes a surfactant to remove — worth knowing on a low-detergent routine.

Charge

Not recorded not recorded for this entry

Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.

Solubility

Water-solubleOil-solubleWater-dispersibleInsolubleVolatile

Needs a surfactant to remove. On a low-detergent routine it can build up over time.

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 ?
Leave-in 55 products
secondary · #28
Shampoo 50 products
secondary · #33
Conditioner 47 products
secondary · #34
Mask / treatment 26 products
secondary · #32
Heat protectant 24 products
secondary · #21
Styler: mousse 19 products
secondary · #25
Styler: gel 16 products
secondary · #23
Finisher: oil 13 products
secondary · #21
Styler: volumizer 12 products
secondary · #23
Styler: curl cream 11 products
secondary · #31
Leading 1–3Supporting 4–8Secondary 9–15Lower 16–25Trace 26+
10 more product types
Product type How common Typical position on label ?
Styler: hairspray 11 products
secondary · #18
Finisher: serum 9 products
secondary · #26
Finisher: shine spray 9 products
secondary · #16
Styler: paste 9 products
secondary · #28
Styler: texture spray 8 products
secondary · #15
Styler: smoothing cream 6 products
secondary · #28
Styler: edge control 3 products
secondary · #28
Scalp treatment 2 products
secondary · #68
Styler: lotion 2 products
secondary · #23
Co-wash 1 product
secondary · #25
The same figures as a table. Where Hydroxycitronellal sits on the ingredient list, by product type.
Product typeProductsShare of categoryMedian positionEarliest positionBand
Leave-in5513%287secondary
Shampoo506%3313secondary
Conditioner477%3416secondary
Mask / treatment267%3215secondary
Heat protectant2417%2111secondary
Styler: mousse1914%2518secondary
Styler: gel1610%2315secondary
Finisher: oil137%217secondary
Styler: volumizer1218%2314secondary
Styler: curl cream1110%3120secondary
Styler: hairspray1111%1814secondary
Finisher: serum911%2614secondary
Finisher: shine spray914%1612secondary
Styler: paste910%2816secondary
Styler: texture spray814%1513secondary
Styler: smoothing cream611%2824secondary
Styler: edge control319%2827secondary
Scalp treatment21%6859secondary
Styler: lotion217%2317secondary
Co-wash11%2525secondary

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

Leading 0Supporting 2Secondary 29Lower 141Trace 204

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

Every listing of Hydroxycitronellal in our library, grouped by its position on the label.
PositionsZoneListings
1-3Leading0
4-8Supporting2
9-15Secondary29
16-25Lower141
26+Trace204

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.

May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.

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 good sign if you want
  • a scented product
  • scent components named individually
  • something that lasts through the day
Less relevant if you want to know
  • 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
Seeing it usually means
  • a secondary fragrance, listed below the main ingredients in our leave-ins
  • it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
It does not automatically mean
  • that the product will suit you if you react to scent
  • that it is riskier than the unnamed components of a fragrance blend
  • 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.

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

These ingredients tend to appear together to give it a scent, carry the formula and let it dry, and improve feel after rinsing.

Found in these products

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

See all 333 products in the library that list Hydroxycitronellal

Identity

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

Two-dimensional structural depiction of Hydroxycitronellal
Structure depiction from PubChem (public domain)
Canonical name

Hydroxycitronellal

Identifiers
Most-listed rank

#10 of 141 fragrance in our library, by how many products list it

Also classified as
  • fragrance
Also listed as
  • hydroxycitronellal
Suits every hair pattern

For your hair?

Whether Hydroxycitronellal matters for your hair depends on your hair.

the 10th most-listed fragrance ingredient 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.

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 7888, CAS 107-75-5, C10H20O2 · accessed 2026-08-28

How this page was made

  • Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 333 of 3889 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
  • The dots are named levels read from an ingredient’s chemical class, charge, solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have — never a score.
  • 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.