Shampoo
Shampoo
Indian India
French France

What's inside

What's inside

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

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Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

This water-soluble silicone is used for its hydrating and softening properties. It is used to add a silky feel to skincare products and has great benefits for haircare.

In haircare, this ingredient:

  • Adds shine
  • Protects color
  • Offers thermal protection
  • Boosts hair strength
  • Does not build up as easily
Cleansing, Surfactant

Cocamidopropyl Betaine is a fatty acid created by mixing similar compounds in coconut oil and dimethylaminopropylamine, a compound with two amino groups.

This ingredient is a surfactant and cleanser. It helps gather the dirt, pollutants, and other impurities in your skin to be washed away. It also helps thicken a product and make the texture more creamy.

Being created from coconut oil means Cocamidopropyl Betaine is hydrating for the skin.

While Cocamidopropyl Betaine was believed to be an allergen, a study from 2012 disproved this. It found two compounds in unpure Cocamidopropyl Betaine to be the irritants: aminoamide and 3-dimethylaminopropylamine. High-grade and pure Cocamidopropyl Betaine did not induce allergic reactions during this study.

Learn more about Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleansing, Emulsion Stabilising, Surfactant

Decyl Glucoside is a plant-derived surfactant and emulsion stabilizer. It is created by reacting glucose with the fatty acids from plants.

Like all surfactants, it works by lowering the surface tension between water and oil. This makes it so that dirt, sebum, and makeup can be lifted off your skin and rinsed away. It also produces a dense and creamy foam.

Because it has a neutral charge, it is compatible with a wide range of ingredients and stays stable across a broad pH range/water hardiness conditions.

Patch testing has shown it to have the lowest irritation potential among common cleansing surfactants (like SLS).

Typical use levels range from 5-20% in rinse-off cleansers.

One thing worth knowing: The American Contact Dermatitis Society named the parent family, alkyl glucosides, "Allergen of the Year" in 2017. The prevalence of allergy is pretty low but be sure to patch test if you've reacted to "gentle" or sulfate-free cleansers before.

This ingredient is fungal acne safe because the fatty alcohol portion of this ingredient is not within the C11-24 chain length that Malassezia can metabolize.

Learn more about Decyl Glucoside
Cleansing, Foaming, Surfactant

This ingredient is a cleansing agent, surfactant, and foam booster. It considered an alternative to traditional sulfates (Sulfosuccinate) and is allowed in "sulfate-free" products.

According to a manufacturer, this ingredient is mild and can be used in baby and bath options.

Emollient, Emulsifying, Skin Conditioning

Glycol Distearate is an emulsifier and emollient that adds a "pearly" appearance to formulations.

That lustrous look you see in many shampoos is due to this ingredient: when cooled, it crystallizes into small platelets that reflect light to give products that rich, shimmering look.

This ingredient is considered safe at present practices of use and concentration and repeated insult patch test with 50% Glycol Distearate on 125 subjects found no evidence of skin irritation, hypersensitivity, or acute toxicity.

Typical use concentrations range from 0.1-10%.

Because it's an ester of stearic acid, it falls into the range that Malassezia likes to metabolize. This ingredient may not be fungal acne safe.

Learn more about Glycol Distearate

PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate isn't fungal acne safe.

Polyquaternium-10 is an ammonium salt of hydroxyethylcellulose. It is a white and granular powder used as a film-former and anti-static agent.

This ingredient is commonly found in hair conditioning products. According to a manufacturer, its positive charge makes it great for absorbing hair proteins. The manufacturer also states this ingredient helps with curl retention.

For haircare friends: this ingredient is not a silicone.

Learn more about Polyquaternium-10
Emulsifying, Surfactant

We don't have a description for PPG-5-Ceteth-20 yet.

Humectant, Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Propylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.

As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.

The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.

True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).

It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.

Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.

Learn more about Propylene Glycol
Cleansing, Surfactant

Sodium cocoyl isethionate is a natural ingredient from coconut oil. It is an ultra gentle cleanser that gives a nice foam without drying the skin or impacting the skin barrier.

The amount of foam created depends on the amount of sodium cocoyl isethionate used in the product.

This ingredient also helps improve the spreadability of a product.

This ingredient hasn’t been shown in studies to feed fungal acne yeast.

Learn more about Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate
Cleansing, Emulsifying, Foaming

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is a cleansing agent and emulsifier. It is a surfactant derived from sarcosine, and a common source is coconut oil.

As a surfactant, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate helps lift dirts, oil, and other molecules to be washed away. In leave-on products, this ingredient is used as an emulsifier. Emulsifier help prevent ingredients such as oils and waters from separating.

Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate is also commonly found as a foaming agent in shampoo, toothpaste, and shaving foam. It is amphiphilic, meaning it loves both water and fats.

Learn more about Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
Cleansing, Foaming, Surfactant

Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate is an organic salt with a naturally sweet odor. It is an alternative to traditional sulfates and is commonly found in "sulfate-free" products.

In cosmetics, this ingredient is used to increase the volume of foam, emulsify ingredients, and as a cleansing agent.

As a cleansing agent, sodium lauryl sulfoacetate helps reduce the surface tension of dirt, oil, and other pollutants so they can be rinsed away easily.

Cosmetic Ingredient Review found this ingredient to irritate the eyes and skin in concentrations of 0.18% and 0.7%.

Learn more about Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate
Skin Conditioning, Solvent

Water. 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

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