Free pickup point delivery from €60 in France, Belgium & Luxembourg
Slide image
HAIR DIAGNOSTIC+ 52 000 diagnostics déjà réalisés

How to recognize controversial ingredients in shampoos?

A sometimes thorny subject among the scientific community, the European Commission, lobbyists, and cosmetic brands and groups, "controversial" ingredients are now being tracked down by cosmetic-scanning apps and the media.

I decided to write this article for consumers who would like to deepen their knowledge of endocrine disruptors, allergens, preservatives... so they can make more informed choices when buying their cosmetics. Here, I focus in particular on shampoos and hair care products.

First of all, it's important to pay close attention to your sources of information. We should avoid taking articles at their word when they have no reliable scientific source.

To write this article, I relied on data from Que Choisir, the magazine of the French consumer federation (UFC), known for its reliability and independence when it comes to analyzing the composition of cosmetics (and more).

Sometimes, I also directly consulted scientific studies available in open access, or used the resources of CosmeticObs.

Please note that ingredients of chemical origin are not necessarily bad, either for health or for the environment, and the same goes for natural ingredients.

The priority in cosmetics remains consumer safety, which depends, among other things, on proper preservation of the formula.

Because LAO is a brand committed to the environment, and because it seems unthinkable to me not to take environmental criteria into account when choosing my cosmetics, I also decided to list the polluting ingredients here.

Let's sort the "questionable" ingredients into four categories.

1. Endocrine disruptors

2. Allergens

3. Irritants

4. Pollutants

1. Endocrine disruptors

"An endocrine disruptor is a substance or mixture of substances that alters the functions of the endocrine system and consequently causes adverse effects in an intact organism, in its offspring, or in (sub)populations" WHO, 2002

In other words, these substances disrupt the functioning of the hormonal system of living beings (so not just us humans) and can interfere with all the major functions of living organisms: growth, reproduction, behavior, nutrition, metabolism, nervous system... These effects are observed over the long term.

Among the best-known actions of endocrine disruptors, effects are suspected on fertility, the development of cancers (hormone-dependent ones: testicular, breast...), the brain, obesity and diabetes, and the development of the fetus in pregnant women. As these conditions have multiple causes, the responsibility of endocrine disruptors is still difficult to determine.

On top of that, endocrine disruptors do not yet have an official regulatory definition (European Commission) and are poorly regulated. There is still a certain amount of uncertainty today about some of the ingredients, as well as about the testing and evaluation protocols for their toxicity.

In addition, endocrine disruptors are suspected of not following a threshold effect, meaning they could have negative effects even at very low doses. For more information on their effects, take a look at the dedicated page on the website of the French national agency for food, environmental and occupational health and safety.

Among the suspected endocrine disruptors in cosmetics, we note:

The phenoxyethanol,

used as an antimicrobial. It is not classified, but avoiding it is strongly recommended

Certain silicones:

such as cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone (Not classified as an endocrine disruptor according to Que Choisir, but it is still a silicone), and names derived from -siloxane and -methicone).

They are mainly used to give the formula its texture, and in hair products they create a coating, smoothing, shiny effect on the hair but cause it to suffocate because they are also "film-forming". The hair fiber, coated in silicone, gradually deteriorates, making the hair more brittle. When you stop using silicones in hair products, you go through a "withdrawal" effect. The hair fiber gradually sheds the silicone and its true nature appears. You can then see the hair damage that was previously camouflaged.

Stopping silicones lets you discover the true nature of your hair, and more natural care will, after an adjustment period, give you naturally healthier hair.

They are, moreover, excluded from the specifications of organic cosmetics and are polluting. We will develop this point in part four below.

Certain parabens,

used as chemical preservatives: butyl paraben, ethyl paraben, methylene paraben, propyl paraben. Be careful: they are sometimes replaced by methylisothiazolinone, which is a powerful allergen that triggers a violent, immediate reaction.

The triclosan,

used as an antibacterial preservative.

The BHA,

used as a preservative and fragrance: Butylated Hydroxyanisole BHA

The phthalates,

used as fixing agents: Diethyl Phtalate

The alkylphenols,

used as emulsifiers: Nonylphenol and names derived from -nonoxynol

The resorcinol,

used in hair dyes: 1,3 Benzenediol ; Resorcin 1,3 Benzenediol ; 1,3 Dihydroxybenzene ; M-Hydroquinone ; M-Phenylenediol ; 3-Hydorxyphenol ; 4 ;M-Dihydroxybenzene.

The lilial,

used as a fragrance: Butylphenyl Methylpropional

The UFC Que Choisir website has written fact sheets on each of the molecules to avoid in cosmetics. Find them here in detail.

2. Allergens

Allergenic substances include molecules that trigger allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to them.

They mainly come from the fragrances added to formulas (found in certain essential oils in particular).

The sensitization threshold differs from one person to another; just because you aren't sensitive now doesn't mean you won't be later.

The 26 allergens that cause the most allergic reactions must be listed on the label as soon as they are present at more than 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.

They are very common, and it is recommended that pregnant women, sensitive people and children avoid them.

Not all allergens have the same sensitizing potential, which is why you will find them ranked below:

Weak sensitizers - alpha-Isomethyl ionone - Amyl cinnamal - Anise alcohol - Benzyl alcohol - Benzyl benzoate - Benzyl salicylate - Hexyl cinnamal - Limonene - Linalool

Moderate sensitizers - Amylcinnamyl alcohol - Benzyl cinnamate - Citronellol

Strong sensitizers - Cinnamal - Cinnamyl alcohol - Citral - Coumarin - Eugenol - Farnesol - Geraniol - Hydroxycitronellal - Isoeugenol - Methyl 2-octynoate

Let's not forget methylisothiazolinone either, which is sometimes used as a replacement for paraben and is very strong. This substance is now banned in leave-on products.

You often find allergens in natural cosmetics, because they are present in certain plants, in the form of oils, hydrosols or essential oils.

If you aren't sensitive to them to begin with, there is a priori no need to avoid them at all costs, but you should avoid overexposure.

3. Irritants

Frequently used in cleansing cosmetics (shower gels and shampoos) for their cleansing, even stripping, action, sulfates and their derivatives can irritate the skin and scalp, but not systematically. Some people are more sensitive to them than others.

They are found in most conventional shampoos. The ones to avoid are:

- ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS)

- sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS)

4. Pollutants

the PEGs

They are mainly used as humectants, meaning they help "retain" water and prevent the cosmetic, as well as the skin, from drying out. According to CosmeticObs, "in the general opinion of scientists and health authorities, these compounds do not in themselves present any real danger to health, even though they can potentially act as a carrier for other chemical substances, some of them carcinogenic, but as residues at very low doses."

The site also specifies that "they are mainly criticized because of their manufacturing process, one of the most polluting in cosmetics for the environment, and they also prove to be fairly hard to biodegrade."

Say no more. We will therefore avoid PEGs in our natural cosmetics. They are very easy to recognize in INCI lists.

the silicones

Besides being problematic for hair because of their film-forming action, silicones are known for their harmful effects on the environment.

However, I had trouble finding scientific studies that concretely back this up. The only studies I identified linking silicones to the environment were on the CNRS website, and I didn't have access to them. Yet if we are to believe a good number of sources, including CosmeticObs, "The cyclomethicone family is also classed among those that can pose a danger to aquatic environments.

And silicones in general, which are barely biodegradable, are known for their potential to pollute the environment."

Certain vegetable oils

As we told you in the introduction, the mere fact that an ingredient is natural or of natural origin guarantees neither its safety for the consumer nor its effect on the environment.

As much as the effects of the components when they are released into the environment through wastewater, their origin and method of production can be a source of pollution or serious damage.

With this in mind, we have added certain vegetable oils to our blacklist. Coconut and palm oils, for example, are harmless for the consumer (apart from the comedogenic effect of coconut oil), but their method of production is debated. We hardly need to describe the deforestation and destruction of biodiversity caused by the food and cosmetics industries, which always want more of these high-yield exotic oils. The main regions affected are the Amazon and Indonesia, but also the Philippines, India, Tanzania and some island nations.

Admittedly, there is now a label, the RSPO (Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil), which brings together the various players in the sector and has set up standards for a more environmentally friendly palm oil. However, this label is controversial, notably according to Greenpeace, which points out through a study carried out in 2013 that the RSPO has not helped reduce deforestation. Greenwashing yet again?

On top of the ecological problems, these exotic oils also raise ethical issues, because workers suffer from working conditions that are often inhumane.

The latest scandal: monkeys, chained up and exhausted, trained to collect as many coconuts as possible.

Brut filmed some footage that may shed more light on this:

Note that palm oil is sometimes replaced by coconut oil in the name of ecology, when this only shifts the problem elsewhere.

In France and Europe, we have access to vegetable oils with undeniable qualities: safflower, corn germ, rapeseed, olive, sunflower. France is, among other things, one of the world's leading producers and exporters of flax.

Be careful, though, to choose these certified organic vegetable oils, because it would be a shame to contribute once again to the destruction of biodiversity here at home.

To benefit from their nutritional qualities, it is best to choose these oils cold-pressed.

What about alcohol?

Alcohol is a solvent commonly used in cosmetics and can dry out the skin. In organic cosmetics, it is used as a preservative. Que Choisir does not consider it a problematic ingredient.

Why do some brands keep using certain ingredients that are nevertheless considered harmful or not natural?

We can hope that no brand deliberately exposes its customers to potential risks.

However, according to Que Choisir, "they keep using these problematic molecules as long as they remain authorized, in order to avoid having to reformulate their products or change their packaging, since these reformulations are obviously quite complicated for them."

I would venture to add that reformulating is expensive and time-consuming, and focusing on it diverts brands from pure innovation. Moreover, pushed by cosmetic-scanning apps, many of them are reworking their formulas. We will write a dedicated article on cosmetic-scanning apps, which don't always take every variable into account in their ratings.

Que Choisir also specifies that they "also deplore the fact that manufacturers add problematic compounds for the sole purpose of giving their product features that are of no real value to consumers. For example, there is no point in putting UV filters, some of which are endocrine disruptors, in lipsticks or hair dyes!"

We couldn't agree more!

Take the example of surfactants: those originating in Asia are often far cheaper than those made in Italy or Germany. In this respect, you'll notice that manufacturers often favor sulfates and derivatives (even though they are recognized as irritants) over alternatives such as glutamates (much more expensive, but gentle and with less impactful manufacturing processes).

Conclusions

Obviously, we will always rely on scientific studies and regulations to assess the effects of molecules in cosmetics. The list above is subject to change and is not exhaustive. It is indicative and aims to inform consumers to help them make informed choices when it comes to cosmetics.

The environmental dimension also seemed particularly important to share with you.

Sources

Not sure which products are right for you? Find your ideal routine in just a few minutes.

Take my hair diagnostic

Leave a comment

This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published