LIGHT ESTER
Isopropyl Myristate
- light ester
A very light ester that makes products glide and disappear quickly on the hair.
- products in our library
- 123
- of researched products
- 3%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #7
- most common in
- Conditioner
- 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”.
How much of it is left on hair between washes.
What it takes to get it off the hair again.
Where the class sits between an ester and a butter.
How much it slows water leaving the strand.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Needs a cleanser | 4 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with a cleanser | 2 of 5 |
| Weight | Light | 2 of 5 |
| Sealing | Light | 2 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Isopropyl Myristate does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
A light, fast-spreading lipid used where an oil would feel heavy.
Smooths the feel of the strand without adding hold or cleaning.
It takes a surfactant to remove — worth knowing on a low-detergent routine.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Conditioner
40 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Mask / treatment
19 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Finisher: oil
13 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Finisher: shine spray
10 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Heat protectant
10 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Leave-in
8 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Scalp treatment
4 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Finisher: serum
3 products
|
leading · #2 | |
Styler: paste
3 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: curl cream
2 products
|
supporting · #5 |
8 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: hairspray
2 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: mousse
2 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
2 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
secondary · #36 | |
Shampoo
1 product
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: gel
1 product
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: texture spray
1 product
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: volumizer
1 product
|
secondary · #17 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 40 | 6% | 7 | 2 | supporting |
| Mask / treatment | 19 | 5% | 5 | 3 | supporting |
| Finisher: oil | 13 | 7% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Finisher: shine spray | 10 | 15% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Heat protectant | 10 | 7% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Leave-in | 8 | 2% | 9 | 4 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 4 | 3% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Finisher: serum | 3 | 4% | 2 | 1 | leading |
| Styler: paste | 3 | 3% | 8 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: curl cream | 2 | 2% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: hairspray | 2 | 2% | 10 | 2 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 2 | 1% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 2 | 4% | 5 | 4 | supporting |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 4% | 36 | 36 | secondary |
| Shampoo | 1 | 0% | 14 | 14 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 1 | 1% | 4 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: texture spray | 1 | 2% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: volumizer | 1 | 2% | 17 | 17 | secondary |
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 | 45 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 59 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 27 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 12 |
| 26+ | Trace | 6 |
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.
A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.
Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
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.
- softness without weight
- a softer feel
- something that lasts through the day
- body without weight on fine 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 supporting emollient alongside the main ingredients in our conditioners
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, 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
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 50
- Citronellol · 42
- Benzyl Alcohol · 42
- Isopropyl Alcohol · 41
- Dimethicone · 40
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 37
- Cetyl Alcohol · 33
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 33
- Cetyl Esters · 28
- Geraniol · 28
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, give it a scent, 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.
Bigen · Finisher
Silkening Shine Serum
#1 on the label · $2.42/oz
KRISTIN ESS HAIR · Finisher
Subtle Shine Softening Oil
#1 on the label · $10.65/oz
Mielle Organics · Scalp treatment
Rosemary Mint Scalp & Edge Cleansing Oil
#1 on the label · $2.50/oz
Mielle Organics · Scalp treatment
Sea Moss Anti-Shedding Scalp & Hair Oil
#1 on the label · $5.27/oz
Rusk · Finisher
Deepshine PlatinumX Shine Spray
#1 on the label · $4.20/oz
Briogeo · Conditioner
Farewell Frizz Smoothing Conditioner
#2 on the label · $3.50/oz
Cantu · Styler
Weightless Smooth + Curl Enhancer Cream
#2 on the label · $0.70/oz
CÉCRED · Finisher
Nourishing Hair Oil
#2 on the label · $19.71/oz
Curl Keeper · Conditioner
Revive & Thrive - Treatment Conditioner
#2 on the label · $3.00/oz
Curl Keeper · Conditioner
Silk & Smooth - Moisturizing Conditioner
#2 on the label · $3.17/oz
Design Essentials · Styler
Agave & Lavender Blow-Dry & Style Primer - Lavender
#2 on the label · $1.50/oz
Design Essentials · Scalp treatment
Peppermint & Aloe Soothing Scalp Care Treatment
#2 on the label · $2.80/oz
See all 123 products in the library that list Isopropyl Myristate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Isopropyl Myristate
- CAS 110-27-0
- PubChem 8042
- emollient
- isopropyl myristate
For your hair?
Whether Isopropyl Myristate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
123 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 8042, CAS 110-27-0, C17H34O2 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 123 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.