Understand what’s inside your hair care

Clear, independent information about the ingredients on hair-care labels, read from the actual labels in our product library. Decide for yourself what belongs in your routine.

2,252ingredients analyzed

6,816products researched

171,139label placements read

Film formers and thickeners

Ingredients that dry to a film. That film is where hold comes from, and what gives a gel or cream its texture.

132 published entries, most-listed first. The number beside a name is how many products in our library list it.

Back to all 16 families

How the library works

An entry gets a page once it has a written description and appears in at least three researched products. Below that we leave the name as plain text on the product pages rather than publishing a page with nothing on it.
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.
We do not publish safety scores or hazard grades.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.
Nothing on these pages is paid placement, and we do not sell any of the products they link to.

Understand what’s inside your hair care

Film formers and thickeners

How the library works

Hair Care Consultation