Head & Shoulders

About Head & Shoulders

Head & Shoulders is a hair care brand owned and produced by Procter & Gamble, introduced in the United States in 1961 as an anti-dandruff shampoo. The best-known active ingredient in the range is zinc pyrithione; some versions use piroctone olamine instead, and certain "clinical strength" products contain selenium disulfide. Today the brand covers anti-dandruff and regular shampoos, 2-in-1 products and conditioners, including men's variants.

A silicone-based range

Shampoos and conditioners are the whole story for the 119 Head & Shoulders products we list, and the top of the ingredient ranking is strikingly uniform: DIMETHICONE (115), SODIUM CHLORIDE (112), SODIUM BENZOATE (111) and SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE (107).

That puts silicones in 115 formulas (97%), and fragrance in 117 (98%). Neither parabens nor denatured alcohol (ALCOHOL DENAT.) appear in any of them.

Telling versions apart

Because the base formulas are so similar, the differences between versions usually lie further down the list. Look for the active named on the pack – ZINC PYRITHIONE, PIROCTONE OLAMINE or SELENIUM DISULFIDE – to see which type you are holding, and check again after a packaging change, since formulas are revised.