Shampoos: spoilt for choice

New, new, new… Anyone paying attention to the advertising gets the impression that shampoo manufacturers are constantly coming up with new ideas for solving all hair problems once and for all. If we cast our minds back a few years, we see that we were given the same promises then. If they were to be believed, hair problems would no longer exist. But they do and this is quite simply because shampoos are basically one thing: a product that cleans the hair and skin. They have only very limited potential in terms of problem-solving.

Which shampoo is worth its money?

It is not easy for the consumer to find the right shampoo. This is also true for certified natural and organic cosmetics. Some people will be surprised to see how many synthetic chemicals are used in some certified shampoos. This is largely due to the surfactants used.

• Water, surfactants and thickeners are the constituents that account for the lion’s share (90%) of a shampoo’s formulation. Surfactants are the most important component, as they are the active washing substances responsible for cleaning. Surfactants differ considerably in terms of being kind to the skin: some are decidedly harsh whilst others are extremely mild and gentle.
• Unfortunately, the certifications for natural and organic cosmetics accept different surfactants and it is therefore highly advisable to examine the product closely.

Standard cosmetic chemistry is used in most standard shampoos

Standard cosmetic chemistry involves the use of many ecologically harmful chemicals as active agents in hair products (conditioners, softeners). Manufacturers of conditioners generally use the same set of active agents. Many similarities also exist between the brands of the surfactants themselves.

Follow-up from product analyses: Comprehensive information on surfactants
and the differences in certified shampoos.

Weleda: Calendula & Chamomille Shampoo

100 ml 5,20 € - 100 ml = 5,20 €

Nivea: Shampooing Diamond gloss

250 ml 3,00 € - 100 ml = 1,20 €

L’Oréal: Elsève Re-Nutrition Shampooing

250 ml 4,60 € - 100 ml = 1,84 €

The Body Shop: Olive Glossing Shampooing

250 ml 7,50 € - 100 ml = 3,75 €

Dessange: Shampooing définisseur de boucles

250 ml 4,00 € - 100 ml = 1,60 €

Pantene Pro-V: Pure volumes

200 ml, 2,45 € - 100 ml = 1,23 €

John Frieda: sheer blonde, Highlight activating pure shine

250 ml 4,00 - 100 ml = 1,60 €

L’Occitane: Shampooing Verveine

250 ml 12,00 € - 100 ml = 4,80 €

What makes the difference between shampoo products?

Shampoos are cleaning products. They therefore consist essentially of active washing substances (surfactants). Surfactants and surfactant mixtures are highly complex, complicated materials as there are many different types. Surfactants are divided into several groups according to their “hardness”. Corresponding tests can be carried out to determine how mild a surfactant is or how irritating it is to the skin.

Synthetic chemicals are dominant in standard shampoos

Standard shampoos contain certain elements which produce a good lather, ensure that the hair is left tangle-free and produce an attractive fragrance.

• Standard shampoos have a great deal in common, as shown in the following examples. In all the products analysed here, for example, the ethoxylated surfactant, sodium laureth sulphate which irritates the skin comes immediately after water in the list of ingredients. Anyone who examines other shampoos in the supermarket or chemist’s will notice that this surfactant is almost always in 1st position.
• The bottom line is that the consumer cannot determine whether a surfactant mixture is reasonably mild. He can only be sure if the product does not contain surfactants which irritate the skin and only mild surfactants are used.
  

Preservatives in shampoos: dubious chemicals from the point of view of health

Standard shampoos have many aspects in common but they also differ in certain ways. These differences are particularly evident with regard to the preservatives used.

• Some shampoos contain preservatives that are highly controversial from a health point of view whilst others contain gentler products.

Why certain shampoos in the natural and organic cosmetics ranges contain significant quantities of synthetic chemicals

Why is it that only a very small number of manufacturers of natural and organic cosmetics strive to produce shampoos of an excellent natural quality? The concept of convenience plays a major role in this context in the sense of the marketability of the products. The purchaser considers a product which corresponds to his expectations to be convenient. For example, a hair washing product should produce a good lather and leave the hair both soft and tangle-free.

• In order to fulfil this requirement, certain certified shampoos therefore contain significant quantities of standard chemicals. This is of course only possible if a certification guideline authorises such ingredients. So why does one certification allow products which another prohibits?
  

There are hardly any other product segments in the natural and organic cosmetics range that present such major differences as shampoos

Major differences can be observed between the certification guidelines relating to surfactants. This is due to the nature of the certification standard. The leading German label “Certified Natural Cosmetic” stemmed from efforts to guarantee the optimum natural quality of all ingredients.
Labels such as the one issued by the Soil Association and the French Ecocert are borne by certification organisations involved in organic farming. They focus above all on organic orientation. Major compromises are clearly made with certain ingredients (e.g. surfactants) with regard to the question of “Which chemicals should be authorised?” Disputed ingredients for certified shampoos include surfactants such as cocamidopropyl betaine and ammonium lauryl sulfate.

• A surfactant such as cocamidopropyl betaine, which contains a proportion of petrochemicals, should actually be taboo in natural and organic cosmetics. However, it is authorised by certification according to the Soil Association and by an Ecocert and Cosmebio certification. By contrast, it is not authorised according to BDIH and NaTrue certification.
• Another example is ammonium lauryl sulfate. This surfactant is authorised for certification with an Ecocert, Cosmebio and NaTrue label because of the relatively natural chemicals contained in it. This is countered, however, by the irritating nature of the surfactant on the skin which is why it is not authorised for BDIH certification.

Good natural, mild surfactants for natural and organic cosmetics

Both surfactants (ammonium lauryl sulfate and cocamidopropyl betaine) could be totally dispensed with, as a wide range of other surfactants is now available.

• These surfactants are distinguished not only by their natural quality but also by their mild, nurturing cleaning action. Mild sugar surfactants, known as APGs (alkyl popylglycoside), are produced for example from saccharose, glucose or starch and are particularly environmentally-friendly.
• The best of the mild surfactants are the so-called acyl glutamates.
• Acyl glutamates can be identified by the name glutamate and include products such as disodium cocoyl glutamate or Sodium cocoyl glutamate.
• Sugar surfactants contain glucoside in their name, such as coco glucoside, for example.

Active agents in shampoos: what they can and cannot do

The most important ingredient in a shampoo is the mixture of surfactants. Then, in most cases, come moisturising agents, which are intended to balance out what has occurred due to drying caused by the surfactants, and a number of active agents. So what are these active agents?

• The differentiating characteristics of natural ingredients are often highlighted in advertising. A great deal of emphasis may be placed on royal jelly in one shampoo while another will emphasise green tea and yet another an “active fruit concentrate”. By examining the situation more closely, we can see that natural active agents generally feature right at the bottom of the INCI list. They are therefore only contained in very small quantities and serve one principal aim: to sing the product’s praises in the advertising.

Active agent in standard shampoos

The main active agents used in standard shampoos are synthetic hair-conditioners and most manufacturers tend to use the same products. Simply look out for the words polyquaternium or quaternium. Active agents beginning with these words appear in nearly all INCI declarations for standard shampoos.
These active agents are extremely important from a sales point of view, as the user can feel them. The hair is easy to comb, feels soft and smooth and is not heavy. This effect is obtained by coating the hair with a smooth film. This effect is not as easy to achieve with only natural products and is not as intensive as with chemical (generally ecologically damaging) products.

Preventing hair problems

• The hair is usually washed too often and too intensively. Even if a shampoo with mild surfactants is used, daily hair washing should generally be avoided.
• Dry, brittle, dull hair is a result of a number of stresses and strains. The hair may have been blow-dried at high temperatures, washed too frequently with harsh shampoos or exposed to excessive amounts of colourings or perms. The hair will be much happier if it is treated more gently.
• Rinses and packs are beneficial for hair which has been exposed to harsh treatment. The effect of coating the hair with a smooth film can also be achieved by simple, natural means.
• Greasy hair should be combed and brushed as little as possible as the action of combs and brushes alters the grease balance: the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids increases and this chemically transformed grease adheres more easily to the hair. This results in the hair becoming greasier.