EMULSIFIER
Laureth-4
- emulsifier
An oil-side emulsifier that helps a cream hold together.
- products in our library
- 162
- of researched products
- 2%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #18
- 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.
How much oil it strips, as a class.
The foam the class is known for, not a measured volume.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 2 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with shampoo | 4 of 5 |
| Cleansing strength | Not a cleanser | 1 of 5 |
| Lather | Little | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Laureth-4 does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Without one, a cream separates in the bottle.
It does not truly dissolve, and ordinary shampooing removes it.
Hair neither pulls it in nor pushes it away.
Charge
Carries no charge, so it neither clings to hair nor is pushed away by it. Nonionic ingredients are the mild, pH-tolerant workhorses of a formula.
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
82 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: mousse
21 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Conditioner
11 products
|
secondary · #25 | |
Heat protectant
9 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Leave-in
8 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: hairspray
5 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Co-wash
4 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: curl cream
4 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: volumizer
4 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Mask / treatment
3 products
|
secondary · #24 |
7 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Scalp treatment
3 products
|
secondary · #23 | |
Styler: paste
3 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
secondary · #31 | |
Finisher: serum
1 product
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: gel
1 product
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: texture spray
1 product
|
secondary · #11 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 82 | 5% | 18 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 21 | 10% | 12 | 7 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 11 | 1% | 25 | 9 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 9 | 4% | 12 | 4 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 8 | 1% | 14 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 5 | 2% | 16 | 12 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 4 | 4% | 9 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 4 | 2% | 13 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 4 | 3% | 11 | 5 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 3 | 1% | 24 | 11 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 3 | 1% | 23 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 3 | 2% | 5 | 5 | supporting |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 3% | 31 | 31 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 1 | 1% | 9 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 1 | 0% | 13 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 3% | 12 | 12 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 1 | 1% | 11 | 11 | 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 | 1 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 24 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 54 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 57 |
| 26+ | Trace | 26 |
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 stable cream that does not separate
- 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 emulsifier, 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 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.
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 84
- Glycol Distearate · 76
- Caprylyl Glycol · 65
- Disodium EDTA · 62
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 59
- Benzyl Alcohol · 51
- Sodium Hydroxide · 49
- Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate · 48
- Dimethicone · 48
- Laureth-23 · 46
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to clean and build foam, soften the strand, and hold on to water.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Paul Mitchell · Leave-in
Clean Beauty Repair Leave-In Treatment
#3 on the label · $5.34/oz
Neutrogena · Shampoo
T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula
#4 on the label · $1.27/oz
Sexy Hair · Heat protectant
Healthy Seal the Deal Split End Mender Lotion
#4 on the label · $6.46/oz
Davines · Styler
Styling Clay
#5 on the label · $17.16/oz
Davines · Styler
This is a Strong Moulding Clay
#5 on the label · $14.17/oz
DevaCurl · Co-wash
No-Poo Original
#5 on the label · $2.33/oz
Equate · Shampoo
Extra Strength Therapeutic Dandruff Shampoo
#5 on the label · $1.13/oz
Equate · Shampoo
Original Strength Therapeutic Dandruff Shampoo
#5 on the label · $0.59/oz
Garnier Fructis · Heat protectant
Diamond Sleek Shine-Coat Smoothing Spray
#5 on the label · $1.74/oz
John Frieda · Styler
Kickstarter Thickening Mousse
#5 on the label · $1.33/oz
L'Oreal Paris · Heat protectant
EverPure Sulfate-Free Iron Sleek Coat Smoothing Treatment
#5 on the label · $2.55/oz
Mane 'n Tail · Leave-in
Herbal Gro Leave-In Crème Therapy
#5 on the label · $1.82/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Laureth-4
- laureth - 4
- laureth-4
For your hair?
Whether Laureth-4 matters for your hair depends on your hair.
162 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: 162 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.
