EMULSIFIER
PPG-5-Ceteth-20
- emulsifier
A solubiliser that keeps oils and fragrance dissolved in clear liquids.
- products in our library
- 61
- of researched products
- 2%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #13
- most common in
- Shampoo
- in water
- Water-soluble
At a glance
Four named levels, read from this ingredient’s chemical class, its charge, its solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have. More dots means more of the property named — never “better”.
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 PPG-5-Ceteth-20 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 — it does not accumulate 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
24 products
|
secondary · #13 | |
Heat protectant
6 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Styler: gel
5 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: texture spray
5 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: volumizer
5 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: mousse
4 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: paste
4 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: hairspray
3 products
|
secondary · #9 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
supporting · #5 | |
Finisher: oil
1 product
|
secondary · #17 |
3 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Finisher: shine spray
1 product
|
secondary · #16 | |
Mask / treatment
1 product
|
secondary · #11 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
1 product
|
secondary · #10 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 24 | 3% | 13 | 6 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 6 | 4% | 11 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 5 | 3% | 6 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: texture spray | 5 | 9% | 6 | 3 | supporting |
| Styler: volumizer | 5 | 8% | 12 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 4 | 3% | 12 | 11 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 4 | 4% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: hairspray | 3 | 3% | 9 | 9 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 4% | 5 | 5 | supporting |
| Finisher: oil | 1 | 1% | 17 | 17 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 1 | 2% | 16 | 16 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 1 | 0% | 11 | 11 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 1 | 2% | 10 | 10 | secondary |
No product-type differences have been researched yet — the reading below is computed 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 | 17 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 43 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 5 |
| 26+ | Trace | 2 |
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 this ingredient is evidence of, what it is not evidence of, and what our own method can and cannot tell you.
- 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 by itself — that is the whole formula, not one line of it
- the exact percentage in a bottle — label position never converts into a number
- a secondary emulsifier, listed below the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, 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
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Carbomer · 31
- Propylene Glycol · 28
- Sodium Hydroxide · 27
- Citronellol · 27
- Benzyl Alcohol · 27
- Salicylic Acid · 26
- Sodium Chloride · 26
- Glycol Distearate · 21
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 21
- PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate · 19
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, carry the formula and let it dry, 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.
Paul Mitchell · Styler
Awapuhi Wild Ginger Texturizing Sea Spray
#3 on the label · $5.39/oz
The Doux · Styler
BIG POPPA Defining Gel
#3 on the label · $0.94/oz
TRESemmé · Styler
Extra Hold Alcohol-Free Hair Gel
#3 on the label · $0.83/oz
Living Proof · Finisher
No Frizz Instant De-Frizzer
#5 on the label · $5.48/oz
Not Your Mother's · Heat protectant
All Eyes On Me Instant De-Frizz Spray
#5 on the label · $2.00/oz
Paul Mitchell · Styler
Re-Works Styling Cream
#5 on the label · $5.10/oz
Axe · Styler
Axe Signature Clean Cut Look Hair Classic Pomade
#6 on the label · $3.03/oz
Kenra Professional · Styler
Kenra Platinum Texturizing Mist 6
#6 on the label · $5.00/oz
Kenra Professional · Styler
Platinum Texturizing Mist 6
#6 on the label · $5.00/oz
Matrix · Shampoo
A Curl Can Dream Weightless Moisture Shampoo
#6 on the label · $2.38/oz
Redken · Styler
Brews Holding Gel
#6 on the label · $4.80/oz
Redken · Styler
Pliable Styling Paste
#6 on the label · $5.60/oz
See all 61 products in the library that list PPG-5-Ceteth-20
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
No public-domain structure depiction is available for this entry.
PPG-5-Ceteth-20
- solubilizer
- ppg-5-ceteth-20
For your hair?
Whether PPG-5-Ceteth-20 matters for your hair depends on your hair.
61 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 is read 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 — 61 of 3928 researched products list this ingredient. Nothing on this page is written per ingredient.
- The dots are named levels read from an ingredient’s chemical class, charge, solubility, or where it sits on the labels we have — never a score.
- 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; where none is, the row is simply absent rather than filled in.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
- Entry last updated 2026-08-28. Product-page methodology: the product library.