CLAY
Kaolin
- clay
A soft white clay that absorbs oil and adds body without much grit.
- products in our library
- 92
- of researched products
- 1%
- on the label, in our styling pastes
- usually #9
- most common in
- Styler: paste
- in water
- Insoluble
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.
How much oil the solid takes up.
A solid at room temperature holds hair where it is put.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Needs a real cleanser | 5 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Removed mechanically | 1 of 5 |
| Absorbency | High | 5 of 5 |
| Grip | Noticeable | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Kaolin does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Takes up oil from hair and scalp and holds it until it is washed out.
Leaves texture behind, which is what makes hair hold a shape.
A dry solid that soaks up oil and leaves a matte, textured feel.
It dissolves in neither water nor oil, so it is removed by washing or brushing.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Does not dissolve in water or oil. It sits on the surface and is removed mechanically or by cleansing.
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: paste
32 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Dry shampoo
15 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Shampoo
11 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Mask / treatment
9 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Conditioner
6 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: volumizer
6 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Scalp treatment
5 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Styler: texture spray
3 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: curl cream
2 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Styler: edge control
1 product
|
secondary · #19 |
2 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: hairspray
1 product
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
1 product
|
secondary · #19 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Styler: paste | 32 | 16% | 9 | 2 | supporting |
| Dry shampoo | 15 | 12% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Shampoo | 11 | 1% | 14 | 4 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 9 | 2% | 12 | 2 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 6 | 1% | 18 | 11 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 6 | 4% | 7 | 2 | supporting |
| Scalp treatment | 5 | 2% | 11 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 3 | 3% | 10 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 2 | 1% | 9 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: edge control | 1 | 3% | 19 | 19 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 1 | 0% | 5 | 5 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 1 | 1% | 19 | 19 | 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 | 18 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 23 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 29 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 19 |
| 26+ | Trace | 3 |
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.
Absorbs oil and adds texture, which is what gives fine hair grip at the root instead of slip.
An absorbent solid takes up oil, and hair already short of it has less to give.
Read where it is listed in the first three ingredients, positions 4–8 or the lower half of the ordered list.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.
- oil absorption and texture
- oil absorption
- a visible surface effect
- body without weight on fine hair
- 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 clay alongside the main ingredients in our styling pastes
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, 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
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.
- Silica · 28
- Tocopherol · 26
- Benzyl Alcohol · 26
- Glyceryl Stearate · 25
- Propylene Glycol · 21
- Tapioca Starch · 20
- Cetyl Alcohol · 20
- Beeswax · 17
- Alcohol Denat. · 16
- Coumarin · 15
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to absorb oil and add texture, 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.
American Crew · Styler
Matte Clay
#2 on the label · $7.00/oz
Ceremonia · Dry shampoo
Dry Shampoo con Arrowroot
#2 on the label · $80.00/oz
d:fi · Styler
Matte Clay
#2 on the label · $4.62/oz
Davines · Styler
Styling Clay
#2 on the label · $17.16/oz
Davines · Styler
This is a Strong Moulding Clay
#2 on the label · $14.17/oz
Hairstory · Styler
Powder
#2 on the label · $27.41/oz
No Nothing · Styler
Sensitive Styling Wax
#2 on the label · $6.47/oz
R+Co · Dry shampoo
SKYLINE Dry Shampoo Powder
#2 on the label · $34.00/oz
Redken · Styler
Texturizing Clay Firm Grasp
#2 on the label · $5.59/oz
Sisley Paris · Mask / treatment
Hair Rituel Pre-Shampoo Purifying Mask with White Clay
#2 on the label · $19.40/oz
Suave · Styler
Barber Essentials Styling Pomade for Men
#2 on the label · $3.42/oz
Trader Joe's · Dry shampoo
Dry Shampoo
#2 on the label · $6.29/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Kaolin
- powder
- kaolin
For your hair?
Whether Kaolin matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 4th most-listed mineral, clay or powder in our libraryWhat 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: 92 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.
