ACTIVE
Piroctone Olamine
- active
An anti-flaking agent common outside the United States, used at cosmetic levels here.
- products in our library
- 73
- of researched products
- 1%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #13
- 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.
Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.
Why a formulator says it is in there.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 2 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses with shampoo | 4 of 5 |
| Prominence | Secondary | 2 of 5 |
| Stated purpose | A stated active | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Piroctone Olamine does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Named on the label for a specific purpose rather than for texture.
It does not truly dissolve, and ordinary shampooing removes it.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
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
30 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Scalp treatment
16 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Conditioner
7 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Co-wash
4 products
|
secondary · #24 | |
Leave-in
4 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Finisher: oil
3 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Finisher: serum
2 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Mask / treatment
2 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Styler: edge control
2 products
|
secondary · #24 | |
Styler: curl cream
1 product
|
secondary · #18 |
2 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: gel
1 product
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
1 product
|
secondary · #29 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 30 | 2% | 13 | 5 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 16 | 5% | 18 | 5 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 7 | 1% | 16 | 9 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 4 | 4% | 24 | 17 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 4 | 1% | 19 | 16 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 3 | 1% | 12 | 6 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 2 | 1% | 7 | 4 | supporting |
| Mask / treatment | 2 | 0% | 15 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 2 | 5% | 24 | 19 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 1 | 0% | 18 | 18 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 1 | 0% | 8 | 8 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 1 | 1% | 29 | 29 | 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 | 0 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 10 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 30 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 20 |
| 26+ | Trace | 13 |
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.
- an ingredient included for a stated purpose
- 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 active, 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.
- Menthol · 32
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 32
- Sodium Chloride · 32
- Niacinamide · 28
- Betaine · 27
- Butylene Glycol · 26
- Caprylyl Glycol · 25
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 21
- Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Extract · 19
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice · 19
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to give it a scent, clean and build foam, 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.
Pantene · Finisher
Abundant & Strong Daily Scalp & Root Serum
#4 on the label · $10.72/oz
As I Am · Scalp treatment
Dry & Itchy Scalp Care Itch Soothing Drops
#5 on the label · $5.50/oz
Philip Kingsley · Scalp treatment
Flaky Scalp Calming Toner
#5 on the label · $13.61/oz
Uppercut Deluxe · Shampoo
Clear Scalp Shampoo
#5 on the label · $1.97/oz
As I Am · Finisher
Dry & Itchy Scalp Care Oil Treatment
#6 on the label · $2.56/oz
Neutrogena · Shampoo
T/Sal+ 3% Salicylic Acid Anti-Dandruff Shampoo for Dry, Itchy Scalp Control
#6 on the label · $1.19/oz
Sachajuan · Shampoo
Scalp Shampoo
#6 on the label · $3.35/oz
As I Am · Styler
Born Curly Curl Defining Jelly
#8 on the label · $1.25/oz
Kerastase · Scalp treatment
Genesis Serum Fortifiant
#8 on the label · $19.08/oz
Pantene · Shampoo
Abundant & Strong Shampoo
#8 on the label · $1.11/oz
Avlon · Conditioner
Scalp Therapy Conditioner
#9 on the label · $1.37/oz
Avlon · Shampoo
Scalp Therapy Shampoo
#9 on the label · $1.10/oz
See all 73 products in the library that list Piroctone Olamine
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Piroctone Olamine
- CAS 68890-66-4
- PubChem 50258
- piroctone olamine
For your hair?
Whether Piroctone Olamine matters for your hair depends on your hair.
73 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 50258, CAS 68890-66-4, C16H30N2O3 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 73 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.
