HARD-WATER CHELATOR

Sodium Phytate

hard-water chelator

A rice-derived chelator that binds hard-water minerals without EDTA.

89products in our library

2%of researched products

usually #22on the label, in our shampoos

Shampoomost common in

Water-solublein water

products in our library: 89
of researched products: 2%
on the label, in our shampoos: usually #22
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”.

Buildup risk Low

How much of it is left on hair between washes.

Rinse-out behaviour Rinses clean

What it takes to get it off the hair again.

Job Ties up hard-water minerals

The housekeeping this class does.

Prominence in our shampoos Secondary

Where it sits on the labels we have, in the category it appears in most.

The same figures as a table. The at-a-glance levels for Sodium Phytate.
Property	Level	Out of
Buildup risk	Low	1 of 5
Rinse-out behaviour	Rinses clean	5 of 5
Job	Ties up hard-water minerals	4 of 5
Prominence	Secondary	2 of 5

What it does for a formula

What Sodium Phytate does

The general function first, then how the role changes by product type where we have researched it.

Ties up hard-water minerals

Stops calcium and iron in tap water dulling a wash.

Rinses away easily

Water alone removes it, so it does not accumulate between washes.

Charge

Anionic (negatively charged)

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

Water-solubleOil-solubleWater-dispersibleInsolubleVolatile

Rinses out with water alone — it does not accumulate on hair between washes.

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 40 products	5%	secondary · #22
Conditioner 11 products	2%	secondary · #28
Scalp treatment 8 products	5%	secondary · #17
Leave-in 7 products	2%	secondary · #18
Heat protectant 5 products	3%	secondary · #17
Mask / treatment 4 products	1%	secondary · #31
Styler: mousse 3 products	2%	secondary · #36
Co-wash 2 products	2%	secondary · #26
Finisher: serum 2 products	3%	secondary · #15
Styler: gel 2 products	1%	secondary · #20

Leading 1–3Supporting 4–8Secondary 9–15Lower 16–25Trace 26+

5 more product types

Product type	How common	Typical position on label ?
Finisher: end oil 1 product	11%	secondary · #21
Styler: curl cream 1 product	1%	secondary · #31
Styler: paste 1 product	1%	secondary · #20
Styler: texture spray 1 product	2%	secondary · #13
Styler: volumizer 1 product	2%	secondary · #19

The same figures as a table. Where Sodium Phytate sits on the ingredient list, by product type.
Product type	Products	Share of category	Median position	Earliest position	Band
Shampoo	40	5%	22	5	secondary
Conditioner	11	2%	28	22	secondary
Scalp treatment	8	5%	17	14	secondary
Leave-in	7	2%	18	7	secondary
Heat protectant	5	3%	17	8	secondary
Mask / treatment	4	1%	31	21	secondary
Styler: mousse	3	2%	36	19	secondary
Co-wash	2	2%	26	24	secondary
Finisher: serum	2	3%	15	13	secondary
Styler: gel	2	1%	20	13	secondary
Finisher: end oil	1	11%	21	21	secondary
Styler: curl cream	1	1%	31	31	secondary
Styler: paste	1	1%	20	20	secondary
Styler: texture spray	1	2%	13	13	secondary
Styler: volumizer	1	2%	19	19	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

Leading 0Supporting 3Secondary 18Lower 40Trace 35

Every listing in our library, by position on the label.

Every listing of Sodium Phytate in our library, grouped by its position on the label.
Positions	Zone	Listings
1-3	Leading	0
4-8	Supporting	3
9-15	Secondary	18
16-25	Lower	40
26+	Trace	35

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.

Who should pay attention

Conditional formulation guidance, scoped to a hair condition and to the positions where it is meaningful. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, and not a conclusion about you.

May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.

May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

Copper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.

Read from this ingredient’s chemical class. Where we have researched the ingredient itself, that reading replaces the class one.

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 good sign if you want

a formula built for hard water
a rinse-clean feel
a routine that does not build up
gray or light hair to stay cool rather than warm

Less relevant if you want to know

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

Seeing it usually means

a secondary chelator, 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

It does not automatically mean

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.

The number beside a name is how many products in our library list both.

These ingredients tend to appear together to deliver a stated effect, carry the formula and let it dry, and hold on to water.

Found in these products

The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.

MopTop · Shampoo Detox Shampoo #5 on the label · $3.00/oz

Living Proof · Leave-in Triple Bond Complex #7 on the label · $30.00/oz

Innersense · Heat protectant Hair Love Prep Spray #8 on the label · $4.18/oz

K18 · Shampoo DAMAGE SHIELD pH Protective Shampoo #9 on the label · $4.59/oz

K18 · Shampoo PEPTIDE PREP Detox Shampoo #9 on the label · $4.59/oz

K18 · Shampoo TripleBright Oxidation Defense Purple Shampoo #9 on the label · $9.29/oz

Jessicurl · Shampoo Clarifying Shampoo #10 on the label · $2.49/oz

Bounce Curl · Shampoo Weightless Shampoo #11 on the label · $4.25/oz

Christophe Robin · Shampoo Hydrating Shampoo with Aloe Vera #12 on the label · $4.40/oz

Innersense · Styler I Create Hold #13 on the label · $2.80/oz

OUAI · Styler Texturizing Wave Spray - 6.0 oz #13 on the label · $5.00/oz

Verb · Finisher Density Peptide Hair Serum #13 on the label · $22.00/oz

See all 89 products in the library that list Sodium Phytate

Identity

What this entry is, and what our references call it.

Canonical name

Sodium Phytate

Identifiers

CAS 7205-52-9
PubChem 23724990

Most-listed rank

#14 of 36 chelators and ph adjusters in our library, by how many products list it

Also listed as

sodium phytate

For your hair?

Whether Sodium Phytate matters for your hair depends on your hair.

89 products in our library list it

What this page is

What this ingredient does, and where it sits on the labels we have researched.

What it is not

A verdict on any product that contains it, and never a safety grade.

Next

Build your hair profile and let the whole library sort itself

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 23724990, CAS 7205-52-9, C6H9Na9O24P6 · accessed 2026-08-28

How this page was made

Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library — 89 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.

Sodium Phytate

What Sodium Phytate does

Where it appears

Position footprint

Whether Sodium Phytate matters for your hair depends on your hair.

References

This ingredient

How this page was made

Your personalized hair plan