PRESERVATIVE
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
A food-grade preservative that works only in acidic formulas, which is why it usually appears alongside citric acid.
- products in our library
- 1415
- of researched products
- 36%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #19
- 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.
What it is in the formula to protect.
Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.
| Property | Level | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Buildup risk | Low | 1 of 5 |
| Rinse-out behaviour | Rinses clean | 5 of 5 |
| Role | Keeps water-based formulas | 4 of 5 |
| Prominence | Secondary | 2 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Sodium Benzoate does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Anything with water in it needs one, over the life of the bottle.
Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.
Charge
Negatively charged, like the hair surface itself — so it is repelled rather than attracted, rinses away cleanly, and is the charge most detergents carry.
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
499 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Conditioner
298 products
|
secondary · #24 | |
Leave-in
145 products
|
secondary · #25 | |
Mask / treatment
121 products
|
secondary · #24 | |
Styler: mousse
48 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Heat protectant
47 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Styler: gel
39 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Co-wash
35 products
|
secondary · #25 | |
Scalp treatment
30 products
|
secondary · #22 | |
Styler: volumizer
29 products
|
secondary · #23 |
12 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: curl cream
25 products
|
secondary · #25 | |
Finisher: serum
18 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: texture spray
18 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
17 products
|
secondary · #24 | |
Styler: paste
15 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: hairspray
12 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
5 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Finisher: oil
5 products
|
secondary · #28 | |
Finisher: shine spray
4 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Finisher: end oil
2 products
|
secondary · #22 | |
Styler: edge control
2 products
|
secondary · #25 | |
Styler: refresh spray
2 products
|
secondary · #20 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 499 | 61% | 19 | 6 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 298 | 43% | 24 | 6 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 145 | 34% | 25 | 3 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 121 | 31% | 24 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 48 | 35% | 19 | 6 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 47 | 33% | 21 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 39 | 25% | 17 | 7 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 35 | 36% | 25 | 11 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 30 | 19% | 22 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 29 | 44% | 23 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 25 | 24% | 25 | 7 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 18 | 23% | 19 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 18 | 31% | 15 | 5 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 17 | 30% | 24 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 15 | 17% | 19 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 12 | 13% | 20 | 9 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 5 | 22% | 18 | 12 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 5 | 3% | 28 | 9 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 4 | 6% | 14 | 13 | secondary |
| Finisher: end oil | 2 | 22% | 22 | 13 | secondary |
| Styler: edge control | 2 | 13% | 25 | 21 | secondary |
| Styler: refresh spray | 2 | 15% | 20 | 16 | 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 | 2 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 115 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 383 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 498 |
| 26+ | Trace | 646 |
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 product that keeps over its shelf life
- 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 preservative, 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 the product would be better without one
- 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.
- Benzyl Alcohol · 520
- Sodium Chloride · 461
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 423
- Behentrimonium Chloride · 413
- Tocopherol · 385
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 382
- Cetrimonium Chloride · 378
- Disodium EDTA · 374
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 365
- Sodium Hydroxide · 361
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to carry the formula and let it dry, keep the formula stable, and improve feel after rinsing.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Olaplex · Mask / treatment
No.0 Intensive Bond Building Hair Treatment
#3 on the label · $9.61/oz
Suave · Leave-in
All In One Magic Mist Multi-Benefit Leave In Spray
#3 on the label · $0.44/oz
Johnson's · Leave-in
No More Tangles Detangling Spray
#4 on the label · $0.54/oz
Kenra · Leave-in
Daily Provision
#4 on the label · $2.25/oz
Suave · Heat protectant
Essentials Heat Protection Shield Spray
#4 on the label · $0.38/oz
American Crew · Styler
Boost Powder
#5 on the label · $46.48/oz
Mielle · Leave-in
Sea Moss Leave-In Conditioner
#5 on the label · $1.12/oz
Nioxin · Scalp treatment
System 1 Leave In Treatment
#5 on the label · $8.09/oz
Nioxin · Scalp treatment
System 3 Leave In Treatment
#5 on the label · $6.42/oz
Sexy Hair · Styler
Big Sexy Hair Powder Play Lite Soft Volumizing & Texturizing Powder
#5 on the label · $54.88/oz
SexyHair · Styler
Big Sexy Powder Play Volumizing & Texturizing Powder
#5 on the label · $40.52/oz
Suave · Shampoo
Refreshing Shampoo Ocean Breeze
#5 on the label · $0.10/oz
See all 1415 products in the library that list Sodium Benzoate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Sodium Benzoate
- CAS 532-32-1
- PubChem 517055
- sodium benzoate
- sodium benzoate (food-grade preservative)
For your hair?
Whether Sodium Benzoate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 2nd most-listed preservative or antioxidant 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 is read 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 517055, CAS 532-32-1, C7H5NaO2 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 1415 of 3889 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.