Hair styling products – INCI lists and analysis

Styling products are used after washing, on damp or dry hair, to give shape, hold, volume or texture. Gels and mousses are usually applied to damp hair before drying, hairsprays at the end, and waxes or pastes are warmed between the palms and worked through dry hair. Heat-protection sprays are applied before blow-drying or using hot tools.

Hold comes mainly from film-forming polymers such as PVP, VP/VA COPOLYMER, ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, OCTYLACRYLAMIDE/ACRYLATES/BUTYLAMINOETHYL METHACRYLATE COPOLYMER or POLYQUATERNIUM-11. Waxes and pastes rely on CERA ALBA, COPERNICIA CERIFERA CERA, MICROCRYSTALLINE WAX or PEG derivatives, sometimes with clays such as KAOLIN for a matte finish. The choice of polymer shapes how firm, flexible or brushable the hold feels.

Hairsprays and mousses list propellants, often BUTANE, ISOBUTANE, PROPANE or DIMETHYL ETHER, along with ALCOHOL DENAT., which makes the film dry quickly. Heat-protection products frequently include silicones such as DIMETHICONE or AMODIMETHICONE and conditioning polymers. Many styling products contain PARFUM, so named fragrance allergens may appear at the end of the list.

For aerosols, the presence of propellants means the INCI order reflects the full contents of the can. When comparing gels, the type of polymer and the amount of alcohol near the top of the list tell you most about the product's character. Waxes and pastes, by contrast, are often anhydrous and may contain no water at all.