Overview
What it is
Other styling with 25 ingredients
Cool Features
It is vegan, cruelty-free, and reef safe
Free From
It doesn't contain any harsh alcohols, parabens or silicones
Fun facts
Schwarzkopf Professional is from Germany.
We independently verify ingredients and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Does this product need an update? Let us know.
What's inside
Ingredients List
Water
Skin ConditioningCetyl Alcohol
Emollient
Stearyl Alcohol
Emollient
Glyceryl Stearate
Emollient
Toluene-2,5-Diamine Sulfate
Ammonium Hydroxide
BufferingPotassium Stearate
CleansingResorcinol
Antioxidant
Sodium Sulfite
Preservative
Tetrasodium EDTA
M-Aminophenol
Acrylates Copolymer
Citronellol
Perfuming
Phenethyl Alcohol
Masking4-Amino-2-Hydroxytoluene
Potassium Hydroxide
BufferingCI 77891
Cosmetic ColorantHydrogen Peroxide
AntimicrobialCetearyl Alcohol
Emollient
PEG-40 Castor Oil
Emulsifying
Etidronic Acid
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate
Cleansing
Disodium Pyrophosphate
Buffering2,6-Dicarboxypyridine
Sodium Benzoate
Masking
Water, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glyceryl Stearate, Toluene-2,5-Diamine Sulfate, Ammonium Hydroxide, Potassium Stearate, Resorcinol, Sodium Sulfite, Tetrasodium EDTA, M-Aminophenol, Acrylates Copolymer, Citronellol, Phenethyl Alcohol, 4-Amino-2-Hydroxytoluene, Potassium Hydroxide, CI 77891, Hydrogen Peroxide, Cetearyl Alcohol, PEG-40 Castor Oil, Etidronic Acid, Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate, Disodium Pyrophosphate, 2,6-Dicarboxypyridine, Sodium Benzoate
Key Ingredients
Concerns
Ingredients Explained
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 WaterCetyl 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 AlcoholStearyl Alcohol is a type of fatty alcohol from stearic acid. It is a white, waxy compound used to emulsify ingredients used as an emollient or to thicken a product.
Emollients help soothe and hydrate the skin by trapping moisture.
Fatty alcohols are usually derived from natural fats and oils and therefore do not have the same drying or irritating effect as solvent (ethanol) alcohols.
The FDA allows products labeled "alcohol-free" to have fatty alcohols.
Learn more about Stearyl AlcoholGlyceryl Stearate is made by reacting glycerin with stearic acid (typically sourced from plant oils like palm or coconut). It's an emulsifier, emollient, and mild occlusive.
Emulsifiers help ingredients like oil and water stay mixed so your formula stays nicely blended and uniform in texture.
This ingredient is typically used in concentrations between 1-10%. Studies have found it to be non-sensitizing, non-phototoxic, and non-photoallergenic.
A close cousin of this ingredient is Glyceryl Stearate SE ("self-emulsifying"). This just has a small amount of sodium or potassium stearate added so it can emulsify without a co-emulsifier.
Since this ingredient is an ester of a C18 fatty acid, it may not be fungal acne safe. The Malassezia yeast can potentially metabolize within the C11-C24 range.
Fun fact: The human body also creates Glyceryl Stearate naturally.
Learn more about Glyceryl StearateToluene-2,5-Diamine Sulfate is a type of sulfate.
We don't have a description for Ammonium Hydroxide yet.
We don't have a description for Potassium Stearate yet.
Resorcinol, or 1,3-benzenediol, is a small phenolic compound with antioxidant, denaturant, hair dyeing, and perfuming properties.
In cosmetics, rescorcinol is mostly found in hair dyes rather than leave-on-face products. Related "resorcinol-type" ingredients can act keratolytic (loosen dead skin cells) but plain resorcinol is not usually found in face products.
In haircare, it is used to create a long-lasting color by participating in dye-forming reactions.
The main downside of this ingredient is allergy risk; it is considered a moderate skin sensitizer in animal data. Human sensitization rates are generally low in broader clinical data.
In the EU, resorcinol is restricted and only allowed under specific conditions for hair products (up to 1.25% hair dye after mixing and up to 0.5% in certain hair lotions/shampoos.
Learn more about ResorcinolSodium Sulfite is a preservative. Preservatives help prevent mold and bacteria from growing in cosmetics.
This ingredient has been shown to break the bonds in hair, acting as a natural straightener.
It is commonly used in food. It should be noted sodium sulfite degrades both vitamins B1 and E.
Fun fact: Sulfites are naturally occuring in wine.
Learn more about Sodium SulfiteTetrasodium EDTA is the salt formed from neutralizing ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid with sodium hydroxide. It is a chelating agent and used to prevent metal ions from binding to other ingredients. This helps keep the product and ingredients stable.
Tetrasodium EDTA comes as a white solid and is soluble in water.
We don't have a description for M-Aminophenol yet.
Acrylates Copolymer is used as a film-forming agent and texture enhancer.
After applied, Acrylates Copolymer forms a thin film cover that helps skin feel more soft. It can help sunscreens become more water-resistant.
It is also used to make a product more thick.
Learn more about Acrylates CopolymerCitronellol is used to add fragrance/parfum to a product. It is often derived from plants such as roses. In fact, it can be found in many essential oils including geranium, lavender, neroli, and more. The scent of Citronellol is often described as "fresh, grassy, and citrus-like".
Since the Citronellol molecule is already unstable, Citronellol becomes irritating on the skin when exposed to air.
Citronellol is a modified terpene. Terpenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons found in plants. They make up the primary part of essential oils.
Citronellol is not able to be absorbed into deeper layers of the skin. It has low permeability,
Citronellol is also a natural insect repellent.
Learn more about CitronellolPhenethyl Alcohol is a colorless and aromatic alohol. It is naturally occuring in essential oils.
The scent of this ingredient is floral and often compared to rose.
Like other alcohols, this ingredient helps prevent the growth of bacteria. However, its main purpose is to impact a fragrance.
Learn more about Phenethyl AlcoholWe don't have a description for 4-Amino-2-Hydroxytoluene yet.
Potassium hydroxide is commonly known as caustic potash. It is used to fix the pH of a product or as a cleaning agent in soap. In cleansers, it is used for the saponification of oils.
Sapnification is the process of creating fatty acid metal salts from triglycerides and a strong base. During this process, Potassium Hydroxide is used up and is not present in the final product.
Using high concentrations of Potassium Hydroxide have shown to irritate the skin.
Learn more about Potassium HydroxideCi 77891 is a white pigment from Titanium dioxide. It is naturally found in minerals such as rutile and ilmenite.
It's main function is to add a white color to cosmetics. It can also be mixed with other colors to create different shades.
Ci 77891 is commonly found in sunscreens due to its ability to block UV rays.
Learn more about CI 77891We don't have a description for Hydrogen Peroxide yet.
Cetearyl 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 AlcoholPeg-40 Castor Oil is a peg (polyethylene glycol) derivative of castor oil.
This ingredient may not be Malassezia folliculitis, or fungal-acne safe.
We don't have a description for Etidronic Acid yet.
Sodium Cetearyl Sulfate is a type of sulfate.
We don't have a description for Disodium Pyrophosphate yet.
We don't have a description for 2,6-Dicarboxypyridine yet.
Sodium Benzoate is a preservative. It's used in both cosmetic and food products to inhibit the growth of mold and bacteria. It is typically produced synthetically.
Both the US FDA and EU Health Committee have approved the use of sodium benzoate. In the US, levels of 0.1% (of the total product) are allowed.
Sodium benzoate works as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of bacteria inside of cells. It prevents the cell from fermenting a type of sugar using an enzyme called phosphofructokinase.
It is the salt of benzoic acid. Foods containing sodium benzoate include soda, salad dressings, condiments, fruit juices, wines, and snack foods.
Studies for using ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate in cosmetics are lacking, especially in skincare routines with multiple steps.
We always recommend speaking with a professional, such as a dermatologist, if you have any concerns.
Learn more about Sodium BenzoateReviews
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Where it's from
Schwarzkopf Professional is a German brand
We're dedicated to providing you with the most up-to-date and science-backed ingredient info out there.
The data we've presented on this page has been verified by a member of the SkinSort Team.
Read more about usยท Updated December 30, 2025 • Added by Butter
