BrioGeo Scalp Revival Charcoal + Tea Tree Cooling Hydration Mask Versus Raw Sugar Pure Scalp Therapy Scalp & Hair Masque
What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningCaprylic/Capric Triglyceride
MaskingHydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Cetearyl Alcohol
EmollientGlyceryl Stearate
EmollientBrassica Alcohol
EmollientPropanediol
SolventGlycerin
HumectantCetyl Alcohol
EmollientCocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingCharcoal Powder
AbrasiveAloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin ConditioningMelaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil
AntioxidantBiotin
AntiseborrhoeicMentha Piperita Oil
MaskingMentha Viridis Leaf Oil
AstringentSodium Hyaluronate
HumectantNiacinamide
SmoothingBrassicyl Valinate Esylate
EmollientCarrageenan
Arginine
MaskingPanthenol
Skin ConditioningCetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose
Emulsion StabilisingCitric Acid
BufferingSodium PCA
HumectantGuar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
Skin ConditioningMenthyl Lactate
MaskingPlantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract
AntimicrobialPotassium Hydroxide
BufferingCalcium Gluconate
HumectantPotassium Sorbate
PreservativeSodium Benzoate
MaskingSodium Metabisulfite
AntioxidantTetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate
Sodium Glycolate
BufferingSodium Formate
BufferingSodium Hydroxide
BufferingChlorphenesin
AntimicrobialDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingLimonene
PerfumingWater, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Brassica Alcohol, Propanediol, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Charcoal Powder, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Melaleuca Alternifolia Leaf Oil, Biotin, Mentha Piperita Oil, Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, Sodium Hyaluronate, Niacinamide, Brassicyl Valinate Esylate, Carrageenan, Arginine, Panthenol, Cetyl Hydroxyethylcellulose, Citric Acid, Sodium PCA, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Menthyl Lactate, Plantago Lanceolata Leaf Extract, Potassium Hydroxide, Calcium Gluconate, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Sodium Metabisulfite, Tetrasodium Glutamate Diacetate, Sodium Glycolate, Sodium Formate, Sodium Hydroxide, Chlorphenesin, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Limonene
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
EmollientIsopropyl Palmitate
EmollientBehentrimonium Methosulfate
Cocos Nucifera Oil
MaskingCetearyl Alcohol
EmollientCharcoal Powder
AbrasiveMentha Piperita Oil
MaskingAhnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract
Skin ConditioningAlgae Extract
EmollientMacrocystis Pyrifera Extract
Skin ConditioningCoconut Alkanes
EmollientCoco-Caprylate/Caprate
EmollientMenthol
MaskingPolysorbate 60
EmulsifyingPhenoxyethanol
PreservativeDehydroacetic Acid
PreservativeBenzyl Alcohol
PerfumingParfum
MaskingWater, Cetyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Palmitate, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Cetearyl Alcohol, Charcoal Powder, Mentha Piperita Oil, Ahnfeltiopsis Concinna Extract, Algae Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Coconut Alkanes, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Menthol, Polysorbate 60, Phenoxyethanol, Dehydroacetic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol, Parfum
Reviews
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.
Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.
Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.
Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.
Other types of astringent alcohols include:
According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.
Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.
Learn more about Benzyl AlcoholCetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.
Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.
It plays several roles in a formula:
Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.
Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.
However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.
Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.
Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.
Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.
This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.
Learn more about Cetearyl AlcoholCetyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. Fatty Alcohols are most often used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Its main roles are:
Though it has "alcohol" in the name, it is not related to denatured alcohol or ethyl alcohol.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Cetyl AlcoholCharcoal powder comes from grounded charcoal. Charcoal can originate from peat, bamboo, coal, wood, coconut shell, or petroleum.
This ingredient has absorbent properties, making it great at absorbing oil.
This ingredient is also known as coconut oil. It is a plant-derived ingredient with skin conditioning properties.
The fatty acid profile of coconut oil is mostly lauric acid (~54%), followed by capric, caprylic, palmitic, and myristic acids. This profile allows it to penetrate easily into skin, moisturize, and improve dry skin.
A double-blind study confirmed that extra virgin coconut oil is as effective as mineral oil for treating very dry skin. Another study found it outperformed mineral oil for mild to moderate atopic dermatitis in children.
Another study from 2018 found that virgin coconut oil can soothe inflammation and boost key skin barrier proteins. Just know this evidence is still only from lab settings and not human trials.
It has also been shown to reduce Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that commonly overgrows in people with eczema.
Clinical testing shows very minimal skin irritation and no evidence of sensitization or phototoxicity.
Coconut oil gets flagged as a "fragrance" because it has a natural mild scent (not because it's a synthetic perfume). The European Cosmetic ingredient database also lists "perfuming" as a function of this ingredient.
Just so you know, the term "fragrance" is completely unregulated. Some brands still use botanical extracts or essential oils in their "fragrance-free" formulas, but regulatory databases technically classify these under "fragrance".
Coconut oil has a tiny and useless bit of natural SPF. Early lab studies clocked it around SPF 7-8 but a more recent study found the real number closer to SPF 1.2. It also offers no meaningful UVA protection (SPF only overs UVB rays).
The comedogenic rating of 4/5 means it has a high potential to clog pores; but it's worth noting that comedogenicity is highly individual and ratings cannot predict how an overall formula will behave on skin.
Since lauric acid is the dominant fatty acid, this ingredient may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast feeds on fatty acids with carbon chain lengths between 11-24, and lauric acid falls within these lengths (C12).
Learn more about Cocos Nucifera OilDehydroacetic Acid is fungicide and bactericide. It is used as a preservative in cosmetics. Preservatives help elongate the shelf life of a product.
Dehydroacetic Acid is not soluble in water.
This essential oil is steam-distilled from peppermint leaves, also known as peppermint oil. It's mainly used for scent in skincare but also provides that signature "cooling" sensation.
Peppermint oil is a "feels amazing" ingredient until it doesn't.
At higher doses or for those with sensitive skin, methol-type cooling can quickly turn into burning/irritation. It can also trigger irritant dermatitis or even allergic contact dermatitis. In a large patch-test dataset, peppermint oil had a low but positive rate for this.
In cosmetics, Cosmetic Safety Reviews (CIR) concludes that peppermint oil is safe to use when formulated to be non-sensitizing with some restrictions; for instance, pulegone, a naturally occurring component of peppermint oil, should not exceed 1%.
Since peppermint oil contains fragrance allergens such as limonene, linalool, and menthol, it can be sensitizing for those with rosacea, eczema, a broken skin barrier, or just sensitive skin in general.
In Japan, this ingredient is known as Hakka Yu.
Learn more about Mentha Piperita OilWater. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water