EMULSIFIER
Polysorbate 20
- emulsifier
Keeps fragrance and oils dissolved in a watery formula so it stays clear.
- products in our library
- 709
- of researched products
- 10%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #12
- 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.
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 | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Cleansing strength | Not a cleanser | 1 of 5 |
| Lather | Little | 1 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Polysorbate 20 does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
How a clear liquid can carry an oil or a fragrance without going cloudy.
Without one, a cream separates in the bottle.
Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.
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
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
124 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Leave-in
83 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Styler: gel
82 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: mousse
72 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Scalp treatment
54 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Conditioner
50 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Heat protectant
44 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: volumizer
41 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Mask / treatment
35 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: texture spray
25 products
|
supporting · #4 |
13 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: hairspray
17 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: paste
15 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: refresh spray
13 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Styler: lotion
9 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Finisher: serum
8 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Finisher: shine spray
8 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Co-wash
7 products
|
secondary · #50 | |
Styler: curl cream
7 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
5 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Dry shampoo
4 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
2 products
|
supporting · #7 | |
Finisher: oil
2 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Lightener
2 products
|
leading · #3 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 124 | 8% | 12 | 3 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 83 | 12% | 7 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: gel | 82 | 31% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: mousse | 72 | 36% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Scalp treatment | 54 | 19% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Conditioner | 50 | 4% | 17 | 7 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 44 | 21% | 8 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: volumizer | 41 | 28% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Mask / treatment | 35 | 6% | 14 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 25 | 26% | 4 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: hairspray | 17 | 7% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: paste | 15 | 8% | 6 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: refresh spray | 13 | 37% | 4 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: lotion | 9 | 25% | 3 | 3 | leading |
| Finisher: serum | 8 | 6% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Finisher: shine spray | 8 | 8% | 6 | 3 | supporting |
| Co-wash | 7 | 7% | 50 | 36 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 7 | 3% | 7 | 2 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 5 | 6% | 12 | 6 | secondary |
| Dry shampoo | 4 | 3% | 15 | 8 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 2 | 6% | 7 | 4 | supporting |
| Finisher: oil | 2 | 1% | 6 | 2 | supporting |
| Lightener | 2 | 67% | 3 | 3 | leading |
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 | 127 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 258 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 163 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 97 |
| 26+ | Trace | 64 |
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 clear formula that still carries oils
- a stable cream that does not separate
- a rinse-clean feel
- 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 solubiliser, 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.
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 308
- Propylene Glycol · 207
- Benzyl Alcohol · 205
- Caprylyl Glycol · 195
- Disodium EDTA · 181
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 169
- Citronellol · 145
- Butylene Glycol · 144
- Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice · 142
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 138
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to soften the strand, carry the formula and let it dry, 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.
Aunt Jackie's · Styler
Curl La La Foam-a-licious Styling Mousse
#2 on the label · $0.94/oz
Aunt Jackie's · Styler
Curl La La Hold Me Down Styling Gel
#2 on the label · $0.58/oz
Aveda · Styler
Phomollient Styling Foam
#2 on the label · $4.48/oz
Better Not Younger · Scalp treatment
Superpower Fortifying Hair & Scalp Serum
#2 on the label · $26.50/oz
Bumble and bumble · Finisher
Bond-Building Repair Hair Oil Serum
#2 on the label · $29.01/oz
Bumble and bumble · Leave-in
Bond-Building Repair Oil Serum Treatment for Hair Repair
#2 on the label · $29.01/oz
Camille Rose · Styler
Spiked Honey Mousse 4-in-1 Styler
#2 on the label · $1.57/oz
CÉCRED · Styler
Wrap & Set Foam
#2 on the label · $4.83/oz
CHI · Scalp treatment
Tea Tree Oil Soothing Scalp Spray
#2 on the label · $7.33/oz
Davines · Styler
Liquid Spell Reinforcing Bodifying Fluid
#2 on the label · $13.00/oz
Davines · Styler
OI Soufflé
#2 on the label · $11.82/oz
Design Essentials · Styler
Almond & Avocado Honey Curl Forming Custard
#2 on the label · $1.50/oz
See all 709 products in the library that list Polysorbate 20
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Polysorbate 20
- solubilizer
- polysorbate 20
- polysorbate-20
For your hair?
Whether Polysorbate 20 matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 2nd most-listed cleanser or emulsifier in our libraryWhat 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: 709 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.
