Shampoos – ingredient lists and INCI analysis

Shampoo is applied to wet hair, lathered on the scalp and rinsed out. Its main task is to remove sebum, sweat, styling residues and dirt. The category includes liquid shampoos, concentrated formulas, foams and solid shampoo bars; anti-dandruff and dry shampoos have their own categories in this database. All of them follow the same INCI rules.

Most shampoos combine a primary anionic surfactant, such as SODIUM LAURETH SULFATE, SODIUM LAURYL SULFATE, SODIUM C14-16 OLEFIN SULFONATE or SODIUM COCOYL ISETHIONATE, with a secondary amphoteric one like COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE. Sulfate-free formulas may rely on DECYL GLUCOSIDE, SODIUM LAUROYL SARCOSINATE or DISODIUM COCOYL GLUTAMATE. SODIUM CHLORIDE is often used to thicken the mixture.

Conditioning polymers such as POLYQUATERNIUM-7, POLYQUATERNIUM-10 or GUAR HYDROXYPROPYLTRIMONIUM CHLORIDE help reduce tangling. Shampoos also contain a preservative system, a pH adjuster such as CITRIC ACID, and often PARFUM. In solid bars, surfactants come in powder form, for example SODIUM COCO-SULFATE, and water is mostly absent. Chelating agents such as TETRASODIUM GLUTAMATE DIACETATE or DISODIUM EDTA help the formula work in hard water.

As a rinse-off product, shampoo has a higher threshold for naming fragrance allergens than leave-on cosmetics. When reading the label, the first three or four ingredients reveal the surfactant system; extracts and oils mentioned on the front are often found much lower, below the 1% line. This is normal and reflects how small amounts of actives are used in practice.