Every bottle carries its full ingredient list on the back, and we repeat it on the product pages for our shampoos, conditioners and curl stylers. Here is how to read one.
The order means something
In Australia, cosmetic ingredients are listed from most to least, by volume or mass. So the first name is what the bottle contains most of. In a shampoo or conditioner that is Aqua: water. There are two exceptions. Ingredients that make up less than 1% can appear in any order, and so can colours.
The names are standard ones
Ingredient lists use standard international names, so the same ingredient reads the same on any label. That is why water appears as Aqua. Plant ingredients are listed by botanical name with the common name in brackets, for example Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil (Argan Oil).
The asterisk
An asterisk marks an ingredient the label identifies as certified organic. The key sits at the end of the list.
What does the cleaning in a shampoo
The cleansers sit near the top of the list. In our shampoos they are Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Sodium Lauroamphoacetate and Coco-Glucoside. None of them is a sulphate, which is what "sulphate free" on the front refers to.
What does the conditioning in a conditioner
Look for Cetearyl Alcohol and Behentrimonium Chloride near the top. Behentrimonium Chloride is a conditioning agent. Cetearyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol, a waxy ingredient that gives a conditioner its body. It is a different thing from the ethanol used in some styling sprays, including our Curl Spray, where it is listed as Denatured Alcohol (Ethanol).
The end of the list
The last few names are usually there in small amounts to keep the product stable and fresh: preservatives such as Phenoxyethanol and Potassium Sorbate, and Citric Acid to adjust the pH. On Blonde Shampoo and Blonde Conditioner you will also find two colours, listed by number: CI 60725 and CI 60730.
If you are checking for something specific
Sensitive to an ingredient, or avoiding one? Check the full list on the product page before you buy. If the list you need is not there yet, email us at admin@vouscare.com.