FILM FORMER
Octyldodecyl Citrate Crosspolymer
- film former
A polymer ester that thickens oils into a gel and leaves a cushioned, glossy film.
- products in our library
- 32
- of researched products
- 0.5%
- on the label, in our leave-ins
- usually #9
- most common in
- Leave-in
- in water
- Oil-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.
What the polymer class can do, not what any bottle claims.
How well the film survives damp air, as a class.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Needs a cleanser | 4 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with a cleanser | 2 of 5 |
| Hold | Not recorded | not recorded |
| Humidity resistance | Not recorded | not recorded |
What it does for a formula
What Octyldodecyl Citrate Crosspolymer does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
The film is what holds a shape once the water has gone.
How firmly depends on the polymer class and how much of it is used.
Changes the texture in your hand. It says nothing about what reaches your hair.
A light, fast-spreading lipid used where an oil would feel heavy.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Leave-in
9 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Mask / treatment
6 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Shampoo
6 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Conditioner
3 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: gel
2 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Finisher: oil
1 product
|
supporting · #6 | |
Finisher: serum
1 product
|
secondary · #9 | |
Heat protectant
1 product
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: curl cream
1 product
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: mousse
1 product
|
secondary · #25 |
1 more product type
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: smoothing cream
1 product
|
secondary · #22 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leave-in | 9 | 1% | 9 | 3 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 6 | 1% | 18 | 14 | secondary |
| Shampoo | 6 | 0% | 20 | 11 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 3 | 0% | 18 | 16 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 2 | 1% | 18 | 17 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 1 | 0% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
| Finisher: serum | 1 | 1% | 9 | 9 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 1 | 0% | 10 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 1 | 0% | 20 | 20 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 1 | 0% | 25 | 25 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 1 | 1% | 22 | 22 | 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 | 3 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 9 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 19 |
| 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.
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.
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.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
How rigid the finish is depends on which polymer it is and what the formula pairs with it, not on there being one.
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.
- softness without weight
- a style that holds
- a thicker, easier-to-spread formula
- something that lasts through the day
- 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 film former, listed below the main ingredients in our leave-ins
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- anything about what the product does on 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
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.
- Tocopherol · 26
- Propanediol · 22
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · 19
- Citral · 18
- Geraniol · 18
- BHT · 17
- Benzyl Salicylate · 17
- Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate · 16
- Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil · 16
- Hydroxycitronellal · 15
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 soften the strand.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Aveda · Leave-in
Color Control Leave-in Treatment Rich
#3 on the label · $10.59/oz
Bumble and bumble · Leave-in
Illuminated Color Leave-In Seal Rich for Color Treated Hair
#5 on the label · $7.40/oz
Bumble and bumble · Finisher
Bond-Building Repair Hair Oil Serum
#6 on the label · $29.01/oz
Bumble and bumble · Leave-in
Bond-Building Repair Oil Serum Treatment for Hair Repair
#6 on the label · $29.01/oz
Aveda · Leave-in
botanical repair™ strengthening leave-in treatment
#9 on the label · $16.47/oz
Aveda · Finisher
botanical repair™ strengthening overnight serum
#9 on the label · $20.00/oz
Bumble and bumble · Leave-in
Bond-Building Repair Styling Cream for Hair Repair
#9 on the label · $7.80/oz
Bumble and bumble · Heat protectant
Heat Shield Thermal Protection Hair Mist
#10 on the label · $6.88/oz
Bumble and bumble · Shampoo
Bond-Building Repair Shampoo
#11 on the label · $4.37/oz
Aveda · Mask / treatment
botanical repair Intensive Strengthening Masque Rich
#14 on the label · $14.83/oz
Aveda · Leave-in
botanical repair™ bond-building flash treatment
#14 on the label · $11.20/oz
Aveda · Mask / treatment
botanical repair™ intensive strengthening masque: light
#14 on the label · $16.47/oz
See all 32 products in the library that list Octyldodecyl Citrate Crosspolymer
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Octyldodecyl Citrate Crosspolymer
- light ester
- thickener
- octyldodecyl citrate crosspolymer
For your hair?
Whether Octyldodecyl Citrate Crosspolymer matters for your hair depends on your hair.
32 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: 32 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.
