PROPELLANT
Isobutane
- propellant
A pressurised gas that pushes an aerosol out of the can and evaporates on contact.
- products in our library
- 92
- of researched products
- 2%
- on the label, in our styling mousses
- usually #2
- most common in
- Styler: mousse
- in water
- Volatile
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”.
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 | None left behind | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Drying speed | Flashes off | 5 of 5 |
| Residue | None | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Isobutane does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
A liquefied gas that evaporates on contact and leaves nothing behind.
It carries the formula onto the hair and then leaves.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Evaporates after application rather than staying on the hair, so it leaves nothing behind to remove.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: mousse
52 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Finisher: shine spray
13 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Styler: texture spray
6 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: hairspray
4 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: volumizer
4 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Heat protectant
3 products
|
leading · #1 | |
Conditioner
2 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Leave-in
2 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Shampoo
2 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Co-wash
1 product
|
secondary · #17 |
3 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Dry shampoo
1 product
|
supporting · #4 | |
Finisher: oil
1 product
|
leading · #3 | |
Finisher: serum
1 product
|
leading · #2 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Styler: mousse | 52 | 37% | 2 | 2 | leading |
| Finisher: shine spray | 13 | 20% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Styler: texture spray | 6 | 10% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: hairspray | 4 | 4% | 3 | 1 | leading |
| Styler: volumizer | 4 | 6% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Heat protectant | 3 | 2% | 1 | 1 | leading |
| Conditioner | 2 | 0% | 2 | 2 | leading |
| Leave-in | 2 | 0% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Shampoo | 2 | 0% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Co-wash | 1 | 1% | 17 | 17 | secondary |
| Dry shampoo | 1 | 33% | 4 | 4 | supporting |
| Finisher: oil | 1 | 1% | 3 | 3 | leading |
| Finisher: serum | 1 | 1% | 2 | 2 | leading |
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 | 85 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 23 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 0 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 1 |
| 26+ | Trace | 0 |
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 this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- an aerosol format
- nothing left on the hair
- 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 primary propellant near the top of the ingredient list in our styling mousses
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, not marketing copy
- it is a carrier, not something left on the 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
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Propane · 67
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 36
- Citronellol · 33
- Propylene Glycol · 33
- VP/VA Copolymer · 31
- Polyquaternium-4 · 28
- Alcohol Denat. · 28
- Benzyl Alcohol · 28
- Hydrofluorocarbon 152a · 27
- PEG-12 Dimethicone · 27
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, give it a scent, and give the formula body and hold.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Alterna · Shampoo
Caviar Anti-Aging Sheer Dry Shampoo
#1 on the label · $5.12/oz
amika · Finisher
Top Gloss Hair Shine Spray
#1 on the label · $6.04/oz
amika · Finisher
Top Gloss Shine Spray
#1 on the label · $6.04/oz
Oribe · Heat protectant
Gold Lust Dry Heat Protection Spray
#1 on the label · $8.46/oz
Sexy Hair · Finisher
Healthy Sexy Hair Smooth & Seal Anti-Frizz & Shine Spray
#1 on the label · $3.41/oz
Sexy Hair · Styler
Style Sexy Hair Protect Me Hot Tool Protection Spray
#1 on the label · $4.53/oz
Verb · Heat protectant
Ghost Heat Defense Spray
#1 on the label · $4.00/oz
AG Care · Styler
Mousse Gel Extra-Firm Curl Retention
#2 on the label · $2.50/oz
AG Care · Styler
Tousled Texture Body & Shine Finishing Spray
#2 on the label · $5.00/oz
Alterna Haircare · Conditioner
Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Clinical Densifying Foam Hair Conditioner
#2 on the label · $4.38/oz
Aussie · Styler
Instant Freeze Sculpting Mousse
#2 on the label · $0.95/oz
Aussie · Styler
Instant Volume Mousse
#2 on the label · $0.83/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Isobutane
- CAS 75-28-5
- PubChem 6360
- isobutane
For your hair?
Whether Isobutane matters for your hair depends on your hair.
92 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 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 6360, CAS 75-28-5, C4H10 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 92 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.