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
Preservatives and antioxidants
What stops a water-containing product growing microbes over its shelf life, and stops its oils turning rancid.
57 published entries, most-listed first. The number beside a name is how many products in our library list it.
- Phenoxyethanol3647
- Sodium Benzoate2836
- Potassium Sorbate2071
- Benzoic Acid588
- Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract448
- Methylisothiazolinone389
- Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract384
- Methylchloroisothiazolinone371
- Chlorphenesin312
- BHT287
- Sorbic Acid284
- Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate281
- Triethyl Citrate220
- Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate213
- Dehydroacetic Acid188
- Methylparaben177
- Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate154
- Hydroxyacetophenone151
- Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract148
- Caprylhydroxamic Acid144
- Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract119
- DMDM Hydantoin111
- Propylparaben90
- Ascorbyl Palmitate82
- Lactobacillus Ferment82
- Sodium Metabisulfite82
- Euterpe Oleracea Fruit Extract72
- Leontopodium Alpinum Flower/Leaf Extract67
- Apigenin63
- Chlorhexidine Digluconate61
- Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract61
- Ethylparaben61
- Diazolidinyl Urea59
- Sodium Levulinate54
- Sodium Sulfite46
- Olea Europaea (Olive) Leaf Extract43
- Sodium Bisulfite40
- Terminalia Ferdinandiana Fruit Extract29
- Sodium Dehydroacetate25
- Butylparaben23
- Beta-Carotene22
- Levulinic Acid22
- Euterpe Oleracea (Acai) Fruit Extract19
- Imidazolidinyl Urea13
- Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate11
- Ammonium benzoate10
- Emblica Officinalis (Amla) Fruit9
- Lactobacillus/Salix Purpurea Bark Ferment Extract8
- Raspberry Fruit Extract7
- BHA5
- Isobutylparaben5
- Lactobacillus/Arundinaria Gigantea Ferment Filtrate5
- Optiphen5
- Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Fruit Extract4
- Lactobacillus4
- Benzisothiazolinone3
- Isoquercetin3
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.
