SALT
Sodium Chloride
- salt
Table salt. In shampoo it is used to thicken the liquid, not to treat the hair.
- products in our library
- 672
- of researched products
- 17%
- on the label, in our shampoos
- usually #8
- 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.
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.
Texture in the hand — it says nothing about what reaches the 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 — 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
423 products
|
supporting · #8 | |
Conditioner
111 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Mask / treatment
32 products
|
secondary · #26 | |
Styler: mousse
30 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Leave-in
23 products
|
secondary · #31 | |
Co-wash
13 products
|
secondary · #16 | |
Styler: texture spray
10 products
|
supporting · #5 | |
Scalp treatment
8 products
|
secondary · #14 | |
Styler: curl cream
6 products
|
secondary · #23 | |
Styler: gel
5 products
|
secondary · #21 |
9 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: volumizer
5 products
|
secondary · #22 | |
Heat protectant
3 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: paste
2 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Finisher: anti frizz finish
1 product
|
secondary · #45 | |
Finisher: end oil
1 product
|
secondary · #12 | |
Finisher: oil
1 product
|
supporting · #8 | |
Finisher: shine spray
1 product
|
supporting · #6 | |
Styler: hairspray
1 product
|
secondary · #25 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
1 product
|
secondary · #17 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shampoo | 423 | 51% | 8 | 2 | supporting |
| Conditioner | 111 | 16% | 16 | 5 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 32 | 8% | 26 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: mousse | 30 | 22% | 17 | 10 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 23 | 5% | 31 | 4 | secondary |
| Co-wash | 13 | 13% | 16 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 10 | 17% | 5 | 2 | supporting |
| Scalp treatment | 8 | 5% | 14 | 1 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 6 | 6% | 23 | 17 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 5 | 3% | 21 | 17 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 5 | 8% | 22 | 5 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 3 | 2% | 10 | 10 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 2 | 2% | 20 | 13 | secondary |
| Finisher: anti frizz finish | 1 | 4% | 45 | 45 | secondary |
| Finisher: end oil | 1 | 11% | 12 | 12 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 1 | 1% | 8 | 8 | supporting |
| Finisher: shine spray | 1 | 2% | 6 | 6 | supporting |
| Styler: hairspray | 1 | 1% | 25 | 25 | secondary |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 1 | 2% | 17 | 17 | 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 | 25 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 273 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 172 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 201 |
| 26+ | Trace | 125 |
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 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 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 supporting thickener alongside the main ingredients in our shampoos
- it was on the label of every product we counted — we read printed ingredient lists, 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
Ingredients that appear alongside this one most often in our library. Near-universal ingredients are excluded — they pair with everything and tell you nothing.
- Cocamidopropyl Betaine · 335
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride · 230
- Benzyl Alcohol · 219
- Sodium Hydroxide · 216
- Glycol Distearate · 209
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 194
- Polyquaternium-10 · 187
- Disodium EDTA · 170
- Sodium Laureth Sulfate · 151
- Propylene Glycol · 145
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 carry the formula and let it dry.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
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
Innersense Organic Beauty · Scalp treatment
True Enlightenment Scalp Scrub
#1 on the label · $6.27/oz
PATTERN Beauty · Scalp treatment
Revitalizing Scalp Scrub
#1 on the label · $3.92/oz
TGIN · Scalp treatment
Balance Collection Scalp Exfoliator
#1 on the label · $2.83/oz
Bed Head · Styler
Salty Not Sorry Texturizing Salt Spray For Natural Undone Hairstyles
#2 on the label · $3.40/oz
Bed Head · Styler
Texturising Salt Spray
#2 on the label · $2.54/oz
Curl Keeper · Mask / treatment
Rapid Bond Repair Treatment Mask
#2 on the label · $6.67/oz
Head & Shoulders · Shampoo
Royal Oils Moisture Boost Shampoo with Coconut Oil
#2 on the label · $0.67/oz
Not Your Mother's · Styler
Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray - 8.0 oz
#2 on the label · $1.25/oz
Odele · Styler
Texturizing Sea Salt Spray for Tousled Styles
#2 on the label · $1.50/oz
Pacifica · Styler
Salty Waves Texture Beachy Spray
#2 on the label · $3.50/oz
See all 672 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
- maris sal
- maris sal/sea salt/sel marin
- sea salt
- sea salt (maris sal, sel marin)
- sea salt (maris sal) (sel marin)
- sea salt (sel marin, maris sal)
- sea salt/maris sal/sel marin
- sodium chloride
- sodium chloride (salt)
- sodium chloride (sea salt)
For your hair?
Whether Sodium Chloride matters for your hair depends on your hair.
the 3rd 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 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 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 — 672 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.