PRESERVATIVE
Triethyl Citrate
- preservative
A citrate ester used to stabilise fragrance and support the preservative system.
- products in our library
- 220
- of researched products
- 3%
- on the label, in our styling hairsprays
- usually #10
- most common in
- Styler: hairspray
- 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.
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 Triethyl Citrate 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.
The cuticle lies flatter on the acidic side; this is how a formula gets there.
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 ? |
|---|---|---|
Styler: hairspray
78 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Conditioner
34 products
|
secondary · #21 | |
Shampoo
31 products
|
secondary · #18 | |
Leave-in
19 products
|
secondary · #17 | |
Styler: texture spray
14 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Styler: volumizer
9 products
|
secondary · #12 | |
Styler: curl cream
8 products
|
secondary · #20 | |
Styler: gel
8 products
|
secondary · #11 | |
Heat protectant
4 products
|
secondary · #10 | |
Mask / treatment
4 products
|
secondary · #15 |
7 more product types
| Product type | How common | Typical position on label ? |
|---|---|---|
Scalp treatment
4 products
|
secondary · #19 | |
Dry shampoo
2 products
|
supporting · #9 | |
Co-wash
1 product
|
secondary · #36 | |
Finisher: oil
1 product
|
secondary · #18 | |
Finisher: serum
1 product
|
secondary · #9 | |
Styler: paste
1 product
|
supporting · #5 | |
Styler: smoothing cream
1 product
|
secondary · #15 |
| Product type | Products | Share of category | Median position | Earliest position | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Styler: hairspray | 78 | 32% | 10 | 6 | secondary |
| Conditioner | 34 | 3% | 21 | 5 | secondary |
| Shampoo | 31 | 2% | 18 | 4 | secondary |
| Leave-in | 19 | 3% | 17 | 8 | secondary |
| Styler: texture spray | 14 | 14% | 10 | 7 | secondary |
| Styler: volumizer | 9 | 6% | 12 | 6 | secondary |
| Styler: curl cream | 8 | 4% | 20 | 3 | secondary |
| Styler: gel | 8 | 3% | 11 | 7 | secondary |
| Heat protectant | 4 | 2% | 10 | 9 | secondary |
| Mask / treatment | 4 | 1% | 15 | 7 | secondary |
| Scalp treatment | 4 | 1% | 19 | 17 | secondary |
| Dry shampoo | 2 | 2% | 9 | 8 | supporting |
| Co-wash | 1 | 1% | 36 | 36 | secondary |
| Finisher: oil | 1 | 0% | 18 | 18 | secondary |
| Finisher: serum | 1 | 1% | 9 | 9 | secondary |
| Styler: paste | 1 | 1% | 5 | 5 | supporting |
| Styler: smoothing cream | 1 | 1% | 15 | 15 | 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 | 1 |
| 4-8 | Supporting | 38 |
| 9-15 | Secondary | 92 |
| 16-25 | Lower | 74 |
| 26+ | Trace | 15 |
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
Formulation guidance for specific hair conditions, limited to the label positions where it applies. It is not a conclusion about any finished product, or about you.
pH adjusters are how a formula is brought to a chosen acidity, and an acidic formula keeps the cuticle lying flatter than an alkaline one. Which way this one moves the pH depends on the formula, and the finished pH is not on the label.
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 seeing this ingredient tells you, what it does not, and the limits of our own method.
- a product that keeps over its shelf life
- a formula set to the acidity the cuticle prefers
- 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 secondary preservative, listed below the main ingredients in our styling hairsprays
- it was on the printed ingredient list of every product we counted (we read labels, 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
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.
- Alcohol Denat. · 116
- Aminomethyl Propanol · 95
- Hydrofluorocarbon 152a · 77
- Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer · 64
- Caprylyl Glycol · 56
- Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter · 55
- Hexyl Cinnamal · 43
- Benzoic Acid · 38
- Tocopherol · 36
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · 35
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 give the formula body and hold.
Found in these products
The most prominent placements first. The badge is the position on that product’s own ingredient list.
Hask · Styler
Curls + Argan Oil Coconut Oil Vitamin E Defining Cream
#3 on the label · $1.33/oz
Act+Acre · Shampoo
Balancing Shampoo
#4 on the label · $2.55/oz
Garnier Fructis · Shampoo
Whole Blends Honey Water Moisture Restoring Shampoo
#4 on the label · $0.51/oz
Act+Acre · Conditioner
1% Vitamin B-5 Fine Hair Conditioner
#5 on the label · $3.20/oz
DevaCurl · Styler
Wave Maker™
#5 on the label · $5.40/oz
Sexy Hair · Styler
Style Sexy Hair Matte Clay (Matte Texturizing Clay)
#5 on the label · $8.78/oz
Hairstory · Styler
Powder
#6 on the label · $27.41/oz
Herbal Essences · Styler
Touchable Hold Hairspray with Frizz Control
#6 on the label · $0.75/oz
Act+Acre · Mask / treatment
Conditioning Hair Mask
#7 on the label · $8.44/oz
American Crew · Styler
Grooming Spray
#7 on the label · $2.10/oz
Aussie · Styler
Instant Freeze Hairspray Aerosol-Free
#7 on the label · $0.59/oz
Aussie · Styler
Sprunch Hairspray
#7 on the label · $0.71/oz
See all 220 products in the library that list Triethyl Citrate
Identity
What this entry is, and what our references call it.
Triethyl Citrate
- CAS 77-93-0
- PubChem 6506
- pH adjuster
- triethyl citrate
For your hair?
Whether Triethyl Citrate matters for your hair depends on your hair.
220 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 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 6506, CAS 77-93-0, C12H20O7 · accessed 2026-08-28
How this page was made
- Every number above is counted from the ingredient lists in our own product library: 220 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.
