FILM FORMER
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
- film former
A modified starch that thickens and leaves a light, powdery film — often used for body in curl products.
- products in our library
- 115
- of researched products
- 2%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #6
- most common in
- Conditioner
- 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.
What the polymer class can do, not what any bottle claims.
How well the film survives damp air, as a class.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Hold | Soft | 3 of 5 |
| Humidity resistance | Low | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
A dry powder that takes up oil and leaves texture behind.
The film is what holds a shape once the water has gone.
How firmly depends on the polymer class and how much of it is used.
Changes the texture in your hand. It says nothing about what reaches your hair.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Conditioner
30 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Mask / treatment
21 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: curl cream
18 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Leave-in
17 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Co-wash
9 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: gel
5 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Scalp treatment
4 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Heat protectant
3 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Shampoo
3 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Styler: mousse
1 product
|
secondary · #14 |
4 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: paste
1 product
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: refresh spray
1 product
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
1 product
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: volumizer
1 product
|
secondary · #21 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 30 | 3% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Mask / treatment | 21 | 4% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: curl cream | 18 | 8% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Leave-in | 17 | 2% | 10 | 3 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 9 | 9% | 4 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: gel | 5 | 2% | 11 | 3 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 4 | 1% | 6 | 3 | supporting |
| Heat protectant | 3 | 1% | 16 | 12 | secondary |
| Shampoo | 3 | 0% | 21 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 1 | 0% | 14 | 14 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 1 | 1% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: refresh spray | 1 | 3% | 14 | 14 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 1 | 1% | 5 | 5 | supporting |
| Styler: volumizer | 1 | 1% | 21 | 21 | 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 | 24 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 49 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 19 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 16 |
| 26+ | Trace | 7 |
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.
Adds grip and body with no oil attached, which is what lifts fine hair at the root instead of weighing it down.
How rigid the finish is depends on which polymer it is and what the formula pairs with it, not on there being one.
Starch gives texture and grip rather than a set film; firm hold usually needs a polymer alongside it.
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.
- dry texture without oil
- a style that holds
- a thicker, easier-to-spread formula
- a rinse-clean feel
- 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 supporting powder alongside the main ingredients in our conditioners
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- anything about what the product does on hair
- 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.
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 54
- Tocopherol · 52
- Isopropyl Alcohol · 47
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 43
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 42
- Citronellol · 36
- Cetyl Alcohol · 35
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · 34
- Lactic Acid · 33
- Sodium Hydroxide · 33
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to improve feel after rinsing, deliver a stated effect, 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.
AG Care · Styler
Curl Fresh Definer Silicone-Free Soft Hold Styling Cream
#2 on the label · $5.00/oz
AG Care · Styler
Re:Coil Curl Activator - 6.0 oz
#2 on the label · $4.67/oz
Biolage · Mask / treatment
Color Last Deep Treatment Pack Hair Mask
#2 on the label · $5.15/oz
Biolage · Mask / treatment
Full Rescue Restorative Mask
#2 on the label · $2.69/oz
Dove · Conditioner
Love Your Silver Gorgeous Grays Ultra-Light Conditioner
#2 on the label · $0.61/oz
Kerastase · Mask / treatment
Densifique Masque Densite
#2 on the label · $8.51/oz
Kerastase · Mask / treatment
Specifique Masque Rehydratant
#2 on the label
Klorane · Conditioner
Strength Fortifying & Revitalizing Conditioner
#2 on the label · $3.73/oz
L'Oreal Professionnel · Conditioner
[Pro Longer] Hair Thickening Conditioner
#2 on the label · $2.60/oz
L'Oreal Professionnel · Mask / treatment
[Vitamino Color] Mask
#2 on the label · $5.49/oz
amika · Styler
Curl Corps Enhancing Gel
#3 on the label · $4.48/oz
Aveda · Leave-in
botanical repair™ strengthening leave-in treatment
#3 on the label · $16.47/oz
See all 115 products in the library that list Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
- starch
- thickener
- hydroxypropyl starch phosphate
- hydroxypropyl starchphosphate
For your hair?
Whether Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
115 products in our library list itWhat 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
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: 115 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.
