CONDITIONING AGENT
Phytosterols
- conditioning agent
Plant lipids used to support the hair's own surface layer.
- products in our library
- 47
- of researched products
- 0.7%
- 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.
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 | Needs a cleanser | 4 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with a cleanser | 2 of 5 |
| Adhesion | Not recorded | not recorded |
| Slip | Some | 2 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Phytosterols 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.
Smooths the feel of the strand without adding hold or cleaning.
It takes a surfactant to remove, which matters 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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Leave-in
12 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Conditioner
10 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Co-wash
5 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Finisher: oil
5 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Shampoo
5 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Scalp treatment
3 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Mask / treatment
2 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: mousse
2 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Heat protectant
1 product
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: curl cream
1 product
|
secondary · #10 |
1 more product type
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: paste
1 product
|
supporting · #7 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leave-in | 12 | 2% | 9 | 5 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 10 | 1% | 12 | 11 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 5 | 5% | 11 | 6 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 5 | 2% | 7 | 5 | supporting |
| Shampoo | 5 | 0% | 11 | 8 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 3 | 1% | 8 | 5 | supporting |
| Mask / treatment | 2 | 0% | 16 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 2 | 1% | 10 | 9 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 1 | 0% | 17 | 17 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 1 | 0% | 10 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 1 | 1% | 7 | 7 | supporting |
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 | 0 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 14 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 25 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 8 |
| 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.
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 softer feel
- something that lasts through the day
- 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 leave-ins
- 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.
- Betaine · 34
- Caprylyl Glycol · 31
- Ceramide NP · 26
- Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract · 23
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 21
- Cetyl Alcohol · 20
- Copper Tripeptide-1 · 19
- Biotin · 19
- Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate · 18
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · 18
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to hold on to water, firm up damaged areas, and appear on the label as plant-derived ingredients.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
As I Am · Scalp treatment
Long & Luxe Scalp Serum
#5 on the label · $6.30/oz
As I Am · Leave-in
Rice Water Strengthening Spray for Curls & Coils
#5 on the label · $0.56/oz
As I Am · Finisher
Rosemary Oil
#5 on the label · $5.00/oz
Avlon · Finisher
ProGrowth Oil
#5 on the label · $4.98/oz
As I Am · Co-wash
Born Curly Cowash
#6 on the label · $0.81/oz
As I Am · Finisher
Bond Repair Hair Oil
#7 on the label · $5.00/oz
As I Am · Leave-in
Coconut Leave-In Conditioner
#7 on the label · $0.87/oz
As I Am · Leave-in
Leave-In Conditioner (Classic)
#7 on the label · $1.31/oz
As I Am · Styler
Rosemary Hair Wax Stick
#7 on the label · $4.50/oz
As I Am · Leave-in
Born Curly Leave-In Conditioner (Argan)
#8 on the label · $0.81/oz
As I Am · Leave-in
Jamaican Black Castor Oil Leave-In Conditioner
#8 on the label · $0.71/oz
As I Am · Shampoo
Rice Water Shampoo
#8 on the label · $1.25/oz
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Phytosterols
- emollient
- phytosterols
For your hair?
Whether Phytosterols matters for your hair depends on your hair.
47 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: 47 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.
