PRESERVATIVE
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
- preservative
A preservative used at very low levels against mould and yeast.
- products in our library
- 154
- of researched products
- 2%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #27
- 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.
What it is in the formula to protect.
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 |
| Role | Keeps water-based formulas | 4 of 5 |
| Prominence | Secondary | 2 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Anything with water in it needs one, over the life of the bottle.
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
38 products
|
secondary · #27 | |
Conditioner
26 products
|
secondary · #35 | |
Leave-in
16 products
|
secondary · #22 | |
Styler: curl cream
13 products
|
secondary · #23 | |
Styler: gel
11 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Mask / treatment
10 products
|
secondary · #35 | |
Styler: mousse
8 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: paste
7 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
5 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Co-wash
4 products
|
secondary · #27 |
8 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: volumizer
4 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: texture spray
3 products
|
secondary · #24 | |
Finisher: oil
2 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Heat protectant
2 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Scalp treatment
2 products
|
secondary · #28 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: edge control
1 product
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
secondary · #13 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 38 | 2% | 27 | 8 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 26 | 2% | 35 | 19 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 16 | 2% | 22 | 12 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 13 | 6% | 23 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 11 | 4% | 15 | 9 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 10 | 2% | 35 | 21 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 8 | 4% | 18 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 7 | 4% | 16 | 12 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 5 | 6% | 20 | 14 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 4 | 4% | 27 | 22 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 4 | 3% | 19 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 3 | 3% | 24 | 17 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 2 | 1% | 20 | 12 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 2 | 1% | 20 | 12 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 2 | 1% | 28 | 22 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 3% | 17 | 17 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 1 | 3% | 12 | 12 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 3% | 13 | 13 | 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 | 3 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 23 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 60 |
| 26+ | Trace | 68 |
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.
Why it matters to shoppers
What seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- a product that keeps over its shelf life
- a product ordinary shampooing removes
- 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 preservative, 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 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
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.
- Propylene Glycol · 66
- Disodium EDTA · 64
- Butylene Glycol · 52
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 48
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 46
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 43
- Dimethicone · 41
- Peg-4 Laurate · 40
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 40
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 38
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, keep the formula stable, 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.
Kenra Professional · Styler
Platinum Boosting Spray Foam 17
#6 on the label · $3.13/oz
Kenra Professional · Styler
Root Lifting Spray 13
#7 on the label · $1.54/oz
Equate · Shampoo
Rinse-Free Foaming Body Wash & Shampoo
#8 on the label · $1.61/oz
Miss Jessie's · Styler
Coily Custard - Curl Refresher
#9 on the label · $1.88/oz
Design Essentials · Shampoo
Peppermint & Aloe Therapeutics Anti-Itch Shampoo
#10 on the label · $1.25/oz
Phyto · Styler
PRO STYLE Workable Gel
#11 on the label · $5.52/oz
Suave · Styler
Style Lock Sculpting Hair Gel
#11 on the label · $0.44/oz
Avlon · Styler
KeraCare Edge Tamer
#12 on the label · $4.48/oz
Axe · Styler
Shine Pomade
#12 on the label · $5.85/oz
Axe · Styler
Signature Clean Cut Look Hair Classic Pomade
#12 on the label · $3.03/oz
Paul Mitchell · Styler
Tea Tree Lemon Sage Thickening Spray - 6.8 oz
#12 on the label · $3.16/oz
Rusk · Heat protectant
Blow Dry Balm
#12 on the label · $5.25/oz
See all 154 products in the library that list Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
- CAS 55406-53-6
- PubChem 62097
- iodopropynyl butylcarbamate
For your hair?
Whether Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
154 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
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem : Compound identity: CID 62097, CAS 55406-53-6, C8H12INO2 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 154 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.
