EMULSIFIER
Polysorbate 60
- emulsifier
An emulsifier that holds oils in suspension and keeps a cream stable.
- products in our library
- 321
- of researched products
- 5%
- on the label, in our conditioners
- usually #20
- most common in
- Conditioner
- 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 60 does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Without one, a cream separates in the bottle.
How a clear liquid can carry an oil or a fragrance without going cloudy.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Conditioner
95 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Leave-in
51 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Mask / treatment
37 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Styler: curl cream
30 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Co-wash
20 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Scalp treatment
16 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
12 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: gel
9 products
|
secondary · #26 | |
Styler: lotion
8 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: paste
8 products
|
secondary · #10 |
11 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Heat protectant
7 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Shampoo
7 products
|
secondary · #23 | |
Finisher: serum
5 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: mousse
4 products
|
secondary · #36 | |
Styler: volumizer
4 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Styler: edge control
3 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
secondary · #48 | |
Finisher: oil
1 product
|
secondary · #12 | |
Relaxer
1 product
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: refresh spray
1 product
|
secondary · #22 | |
Styler: texture spray
1 product
|
secondary · #22 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditioner | 95 | 8% | 20 | 4 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 51 | 7% | 16 | 5 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 37 | 6% | 21 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 30 | 13% | 14 | 4 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 20 | 20% | 20 | 5 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 16 | 5% | 19 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 12 | 15% | 20 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 9 | 3% | 26 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 8 | 22% | 12 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 8 | 4% | 10 | 3 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 7 | 3% | 18 | 3 | secondary |
| Shampoo | 7 | 0% | 23 | 15 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 5 | 4% | 19 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 4 | 2% | 36 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 4 | 3% | 15 | 11 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 3 | 8% | 11 | 8 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 3% | 48 | 48 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 1 | 0% | 12 | 12 | secondary |
| Relaxer | 1 | 25% | 5 | 5 | supporting |
| Styler: refresh spray | 1 | 3% | 22 | 22 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 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 | 3 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 37 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 86 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 112 |
| 26+ | Trace | 83 |
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 stable cream that does not separate
- a clear formula that still carries oils
- 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 emulsifier, listed below the main ingredients in our conditioners
- 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.
- Hydroxyethylcellulose · 174
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 153
- Cetyl Alcohol · 146
- Disodium Phosphate · 130
- Sodium Phosphate · 127
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 122
- Benzyl Alcohol · 118
- Dimethicone · 101
- Caprylyl Glycol · 98
- Amodimethicone · 93
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to give the formula body and hold, soften the strand, 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.
Maria Nila · Styler
Sculpting Wax
#3 on the label · $9.62/oz
Mielle · Heat protectant
Mango & Tulsi Nourishing Thermal Protectant Spray
#3 on the label · $38.42/oz
Mielle · Heat protectant
Mongongo Oil Thermal & Heat Protectant Spray
#3 on the label · $2.71/oz
Bumble and bumble · Styler
Grooming Hair Styling Cream
#4 on the label · $8.93/oz
Design Essentials · Conditioner
Almond & Avocado Moisturizing & Detangling Conditioner
#4 on the label · $1.17/oz
ORS · Styler
Olive Oil Fix-it Creme Styler
#4 on the label · $1.80/oz
R+Co · Styler
AIRCRAFT Pomade Mousse
#4 on the label · $6.79/oz
Adwoa Beauty · Conditioner
Blue Tansy Reparative Conditioner
#5 on the label · $1.70/oz
As I Am · Co-wash
Hemp Seed Oil Cowash Bar
#5 on the label · $2.21/oz
Cantu · Styler
Ultra Moisture Nourishing Curling Cream with Batana Oil Jamaican Black Castor Oil
#5 on the label · $0.70/oz
Curls · Conditioner
Coconut Curlada Conditioner
#5 on the label · $1.59/oz
Kenra Professional · Styler
Curl Defining Creme 5
#5 on the label · $5.88/oz
See all 321 products in the library that list Polysorbate 60
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
Polysorbate 60
- solubilizer
- polysorbate 60
- polysorbate-60
- polysorbate-60 (plant derived)
- polysorbate60
For your hair?
Whether Polysorbate 60 matters for your hair depends on your hair.
321 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: 321 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.
