SALT
Sodium Chloride
- salt
Table salt. In shampoo it is used to thicken the liquid, not to treat the hair.
- products in our library
- 1343
- of researched products
- 20%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #8
- 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.
The housekeeping this class does.
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 |
| Job | Thickens | 2 of 5 |
| Prominence | Supporting | 4 of 5 |
What it does for a formula
What Sodium Chloride does
The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.
Changes the texture in your hand. It says nothing about what reaches your hair.
A little salt turns a thin detergent solution into a pourable gel.
Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.
Charge
Charge is not recorded for this ingredient.
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
913 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Conditioner
151 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Mask / treatment
49 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Styler: mousse
43 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Scalp treatment
37 products
|
supporting · #4 | |
Leave-in
30 products
|
secondary · #29 | |
Styler: texture spray
28 products
|
leading · #3 | |
Styler: volumizer
15 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Co-wash
14 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: curl cream
11 products
|
secondary · #23 |
13 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: paste
10 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Heat protectant
8 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: gel
7 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Styler: hairspray
6 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Dry shampoo
4 products
|
secondary · #15 | |
Finisher: oil
4 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
3 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
2 products
|
secondary · #40 | |
Finisher: serum
2 products
|
secondary · #22 | |
Finisher: shine spray
2 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Styler: refresh spray
2 products
|
supporting · #6 | |
Finisher: end oil
1 product
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: lotion
1 product
|
secondary · #10 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 913 | 59% | 8 | 2 | supporting |
| Conditioner | 151 | 13% | 16 | 4 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 49 | 8% | 19 | 2 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 43 | 21% | 17 | 7 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 37 | 13% | 4 | 1 | supporting |
| Leave-in | 30 | 4% | 29 | 4 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 28 | 29% | 3 | 2 | leading |
| Styler: volumizer | 15 | 10% | 17 | 5 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 14 | 14% | 16 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 11 | 5% | 23 | 17 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 10 | 5% | 20 | 12 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 8 | 4% | 18 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 7 | 3% | 18 | 14 | secondary |
| Styler: hairspray | 6 | 2% | 19 | 4 | secondary |
| Dry shampoo | 4 | 3% | 15 | 7 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 4 | 1% | 8 | 4 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 3 | 4% | 17 | 15 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 2 | 6% | 40 | 34 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 2 | 1% | 22 | 9 | secondary |
| Finisher: shine spray | 2 | 2% | 21 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: refresh spray | 2 | 6% | 6 | 4 | supporting |
| Finisher: end oil | 1 | 13% | 12 | 12 | secondary |
| Styler: lotion | 1 | 3% | 10 | 10 | 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 | 66 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 491 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 317 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 295 |
| 26+ | Trace | 174 |
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 thicker, easier-to-spread formula
- a thicker cleanser
- 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 supporting thickener alongside the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, not marketing copy)
- anything about what the product does on hair
- 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.
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 740
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 485
- Sodium Hydroxide · 407
- Glycol Distearate · 406
- Benzyl Alcohol · 401
- Polyquaternium-10 · 360
- Disodium EDTA · 329
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate · 328
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 314
- Ethylhexylglycerin · 271
The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.
These ingredients tend to appear together to clean and build foam, improve feel after rinsing, 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.
Bondi Boost · Scalp treatment
MICRO-EXFOLIATING SCALP SCRUB
#1 on the label · $3.20/oz
CHI · Scalp treatment
Scalp-ology Scalp Scrub
#1 on the label · $4.87/oz
CHI · Scalp treatment
Scalp-ology Scalp Serum
#1 on the label · $5.63/oz
Christophe Robin · Scalp treatment
Cleansing Purifying Scrub with Sea Salt
#1 on the label · $6.39/oz
Davines · Scalp treatment
SOLU Sea Salt Scrub
#1 on the label · $5.44/oz
dpHUE · Scalp treatment
Apple Cider Vinegar Scalp Scrub
#1 on the label · $5.00/oz
Innersense Organic Beauty · Scalp treatment
True Enlightenment Scalp Scrub
#1 on the label · $6.27/oz
L'anza · Scalp treatment
Scalp Therapy Balancing Scrub
#1 on the label · $7.65/oz
Marc Anthony · Scalp treatment
Hair & Scalp Detox Purifying Scalp Scrub with Mineral Salt
#1 on the label · $7.24/oz
Nature Skin Shop · Scalp treatment
Marine Mineral Scalp Ritual Scrub & Foaming Cleanser
#1 on the label · $15.00/oz
Pacifica · Scalp treatment
Rosemary Detox Scalp Scrub
#1 on the label · $2.75/oz
Pattern Beauty · Scalp treatment
Revitalizing Scalp Scrub
#1 on the label · $3.92/oz
See all 1343 products in the library that list Sodium Chloride
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Sodium Chloride
- CAS 7647-14-5
- PubChem 5234
- thickener
- dead sea salt
- maris sal
- maris sal (sea salt)
- maris sal / sea salt / sel marin
- maris sal/sea salt/sel marin
- pink bolivian salt
- pink salt
- sea salt
- sea salt (maris sal, sel marin)
- sea salt (maris sal)
- sea salt (maris sal) (sel marin)
- sea salt (maris sal/sel marin)
- sea salt (sel marin, maris sal)
- sea salt/maris sal/sel marin
- sea salt/sel marin
- sodium chloride
- sodium chloride (salt)
- sodium chloride (sea salt)
- sodiumchloride
For your hair?
Whether Sodium Chloride matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 2nd most-listed chelator or pH adjuster 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
Sourced Backed by a manufacturer or regulatory source.
This ingredient
- Manufacturer or regulatory PubChem : Compound identity: CID 5234, CAS 7647-14-5, ClNa · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 1343 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.
