CONDITIONING AGENT
Niacinamide
- conditioning agent
Vitamin B3, used in scalp products for conditioning claims.
- products in our library
- 315
- of researched products
- 5%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #17
- most common in
- Shampoo
- in water
- Water-soluble
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.
Whether hair pulls it in or pushes it away, read from its charge.
How much easier it makes a comb pass.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Adhesion | Not recorded | not recorded |
| Slip | Some | 2 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Niacinamide does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Included for feel and detangling rather than for cleaning or structure.
Usually present in small amounts, below where label order indicates quantity.
Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
Solubility
Rinses out with water alone, so it does not build up on hair between washes.
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
100 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Scalp treatment
64 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Conditioner
60 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Leave-in
17 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Mask / treatment
16 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Finisher: serum
9 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Heat protectant
9 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Dry shampoo
7 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Styler: gel
5 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
4 products
|
secondary · #18 |
11 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: volumizer
4 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: edge control
3 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: hairspray
3 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: mousse
3 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Finisher: oil
2 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Finisher: shine spray
2 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: curl cream
2 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: refresh spray
2 products
|
secondary · #36 | |
Co-wash
1 product
|
secondary · #17 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
secondary · #21 | |
Styler: paste
1 product
|
secondary · #31 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 100 | 6% | 17 | 7 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 64 | 22% | 8 | 2 | supporting |
| Conditioner | 60 | 5% | 17 | 7 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 17 | 2% | 14 | 4 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 16 | 3% | 19 | 10 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 9 | 7% | 8 | 3 | supporting |
| Heat protectant | 9 | 4% | 16 | 2 | secondary |
| Dry shampoo | 7 | 5% | 11 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 5 | 2% | 13 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 4 | 5% | 18 | 14 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 4 | 3% | 12 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 3 | 8% | 17 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 3 | 1% | 5 | 5 | supporting |
| Styler: mousse | 3 | 1% | 21 | 8 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 2 | 1% | 11 | 11 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 2 | 2% | 18 | 15 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 2 | 1% | 16 | 14 | secondary |
| Styler: refresh spray | 2 | 6% | 36 | 10 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 1 | 1% | 17 | 17 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 3% | 21 | 21 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 1 | 1% | 31 | 31 | 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 | 40 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 108 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 113 |
| 26+ | Trace | 36 |
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.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
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.
- easier combing
- a named vitamin on the label
- a rinse-clean feel
- less frizz and easier combing
- 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 conditioning agent, 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.
- Biotin · 123
- Benzyl Alcohol · 106
- Sodium Chloride · 104
- Tocopheryl Acetate · 99
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 89
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 84
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 82
- Caprylyl Glycol · 75
- Caffeine · 74
- Sodium Hydroxide · 73
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to deliver a stated effect, carry the formula and let it dry, and keep the formula stable.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Head & Shoulders · Scalp treatment
Royal Oils Instant Soothe Scalp Elixir
#2 on the label · $2.59/oz
Kerastase · Heat protectant
Nutritive Lotion Thermique Sublimatrice
#2 on the label · $7.73/oz
Mielle · Scalp treatment
Lavender Lychee Scalp Lightweight Soothing Scalp and Hair Refresher
#2 on the label · $3.25/oz
Nioxin · Scalp treatment
Pro Clinical Scalp Relief Scalp Soothing Serum
#2 on the label · $11.83/oz
Nioxin · Scalp treatment
Pro Clinical System 1 Scalp Care + Hair Thickening Treatment
#2 on the label · $8.09/oz
Nioxin · Scalp treatment
Pro Clinical System 2 Scalp Care + Hair Thickening Treatment
#2 on the label · $6.42/oz
Nioxin · Scalp treatment
Pro Clinical System 3 Scalp Care + Hair Thickening Treatment
#2 on the label · $6.42/oz
Nioxin · Scalp treatment
Pro Clinical System 4 Scalp Care + Hair Thickening Treatment
#2 on the label · $7.99/oz
Pantene · Scalp treatment
New Lengths Scalp Revitalizing Treatment
#2 on the label · $2.52/oz
Dove · Scalp treatment
Derma Scalp Density Boost 3-in-1 Scalp Serum
#3 on the label · $6.49/oz
Dr. Groot · Scalp treatment
Scalp Revitalizing Solution Hair Thickening Roll-On Serum
#3 on the label · $52.00/oz
Nioxin · Scalp treatment
Pro Clinical Density Defend Diamax Advanced Hair Thickening Serum
#3 on the label · $13.02/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Niacinamide
- CAS 98-92-0
- PubChem 936
- vitamin
- niacinamide
- niacinamide (b3)
- niacinamide (vitamin b3)
- nicotinamide
For your hair?
Whether Niacinamide matters for your hair depends on your hair.
315 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 936, CAS 98-92-0, C6H6N2O · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 315 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.
