Rice Water & Aloe Vera Braid & Scalp Moisturizer

In the US, ingredients above 1% are listed from most to least. Below 1% they can appear in any order. Each note keeps three things apart: what the ingredient generally does, its role in this type of product, and what its position can tell you.

• 1 Water · Water (Aqua, Eau)
  General function

  The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.

  Leading ingredient

  Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

  • solvent
• 2 Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice · Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice (Decolorized)
  General function

  Aloe gel, used for light moisture and slip. High in the list it also contributes a little natural hold.

  Leading ingredient

  Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

  May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold

  Gums thicken and set soft, which gives definition that bends rather than a rigid cast.

  May suitFine or easily flattened hair

  Hydration with no oil attached, so it adds very little weight even high on a list.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Aloe is mostly water carrying sugars that bind more of it, which is why it turns up as the base of moisture-first formulas.

  • humectant
  • botanical extract
  • gum
• 3 Cetearyl Alcohol
  General function

  A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.

  Leading ingredient

  Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.

  DependsFine or easily flattened hair

  Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.

  PubChem
  • fatty alcohol
  • emollient
  • thickener
• 4 Propanediol
  General function

  A corn-derived humectant and solvent, often chosen as a lighter-feeling alternative to propylene glycol.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  May suitFine or easily flattened hair

  Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it adds less weight than oils or butters do.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.

  DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

  A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.

  PubChem
  • humectant
  • solvent
• 5 Oryza Sativa (Rice) Extract
  General function

  A rice extract used at low levels, usually alongside rice protein or rice bran oil.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  • botanical extract
• ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
• 6 Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Extract
  General function

  A rice bran extract used for antioxidants and label appeal.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  • botanical extract
  • antioxidant
• 7 Cetrimonium Chloride
  General function

  A quick-acting conditioning agent that reduces static and combing force. It also helps keep the formula stable.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitFine or easily flattened hair

  The C16 quat binds mostly by charge rather than by chain, so it deposits measurably less than the C22 ones. Less deposit is less conditioning and also less weight, which is usually the trade fine hair wants.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

  DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines

  Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

  International Journal of Cosmetic Science
  • conditioning agent
  • cleanser
• 8 Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil
  General function

  A medium-weight oil used for softness and slip.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

  • oil
  • emollient
• 9 Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract
  • botanical extract
  • antioxidant
• 10 Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Extract
  • botanical extract
• 11 Keratin Amino Acids
  General function

  Keratin broken all the way down to individual amino acids. Small enough to sit inside the cuticle, used for softness rather than firmness.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Amino acids are the smallest protein fraction and bind water as well, so they add far less stiffness than a hydrolysed protein does.

  DependsProtein-sensitive hair

  The lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.

  • protein
  • amino acid
• 12 Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
  General function

  Argan oil. A medium-weight oil used for shine and softness on the outside of the strand.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

  • oil
  • emollient
• 13 Lactobacillus/Tomato Fruit Ferment Extract
  • botanical extract
• 14 Squalane
  General function

  The fully hydrogenated form of squalene, now made from olive or sugarcane rather than shark liver. Hydrogenation is what makes it so slow to oxidise; it spreads very lightly and absorbs without a greasy film.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.

  PubChem
  • emollient
  • conditioning agent
• 15 C13-15 Alkane
  General function

  A plant-derived light alkane used as a clean-feeling replacement for silicone or mineral oil.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

  • emollient
  • solvent
• 16 Acyl Coenzyme A Desaturase
  • active
• 17 PVP
  General function

  A classic hairspray polymer. It gives firm hold but attracts moisture, so humidity can soften the set.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitMaximum-hold styling

  Synthetic film formers dry into a continuous film, which is what holds a shape against movement and against humid air.

  DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines

  Some acrylate copolymers rinse with water and some need a detergent; the label alone does not say which one a formula used.

  DependsCurls or waves needing flexible hold

  It sets firm on its own. Whether the curl stays flexible depends on the plasticisers and oils the rest of the formula carries.

  PubChem
  • film former
  • polymer
• 18 Tocopherol
  • antioxidant
  • vitamin
• 19 Glycereth-2 Cocoate
  General function

  A coconut-derived emulsifier that softens a cleansing base.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

  • emulsifier
  • emollient
• 20 Ethylhexylglycerin
  General function

  A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

  PubChem
  • preservative
  • emollient

What the whole list adds up to

• 7 emollients
• 6 botanical extracts
• 3 solvents
• 3 antioxidants
• 2 humectants
• 2 oils
• 1 gum
• 1 fatty alcohol
• 1 thickener
• 1 conditioning agent
• 1 cleanser
• 1 protein
• 1 amino acid
• 1 conditioning agent

Ingredient list captured 2026-09-04. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.