Build my profileBuild my profile

Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Mel in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Mel is a cosmetic ingredient that holds water in the skin or the product. It is not vegan: it comes from bees. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 115 products, most often shampoos.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 2 sourcesHow we check

Not for you

for a vegan profile

What does Mel do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Mel holds water in the skin or the product, softens and smooths the skin, and moisturises the skin. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: humectant, emollient and moisturising.

humectantemollientmoisturising

What other names and numbers does Mel have?

CAS number
8028-66-8
CosIng reference
35197

Is Mel vegan?

No. Mel is made by bees. It is vegetarian.

VeganNot for youIt is made by bees.
VegetarianFits youNot meat or fish.

Which products contain Mel?

Open Beauty Facts finds Mel in the ingredient lists of 115 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often shampoos, hair care and soaps.

  • Shampoos16
  • Hair care14
  • Soaps9

Products with it, by country of sale: France 52 · Germany 18 · Norway 17 · United States 7.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Mel turns up, not how much of the market it is.

On these listsEmollientsHumectantsFrom animals and insects

Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors

Sources

The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.

  1. European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
  2. Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL

Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check

Create a website profile with the things you avoid and the people you check for.

Build my profile

Save and edit your profile on this website. App transfer is not available yet.