Choosing the right shampoo involves understanding its ingredients. This review delves into the components commonly found in Sun Bum shampoos, offering insights into their functions and potential effects. By examining each ingredient, this analysis aims to provide clarity and help consumers make informed decisions.
Good old water, aka H2O. The most common skincare ingredient of all. One more thing: the water used in cosmetics is purified and deionized (it means that almost all of the mineral ions inside it is removed).
Water, listed as "Aqua" on ingredient lists, forms the base of most shampoos. In cosmetics, water undergoes purification and deionization to remove mineral ions, ensuring the stability and effectiveness of the formula.
A mild and non-drying cleanser that gives skin a nice and soft after-feel. A vegetable based co-surfactant that helps to create mild cleansing formulas.
Cleansing agents, or surfactants, are crucial for removing dirt and oil from the hair. Sun Bum shampoos often incorporate mild surfactants that cleanse effectively without causing excessive dryness.
Read also: Shampoo Ingredients for Hair Loss
It’s pretty much the current IT-preservative. It’s safe and gentle, but even more importantly, it’s not a feared-by-everyone-mostly-without-scientific-reason paraben. It's one of those things that help your cosmetics not to go wrong too soon, aka a preservative.
Preservatives prevent the growth of bacteria and mold, ensuring the product's safety and longevity. Sun Bum often utilizes preservatives known for their safety and gentleness.
Exactly what it sounds: nice smelling stuff put into cosmetic products so that the end product also smells nice. If you are someone who likes to know what you put on your face then fragrance is not your best friend - there's no way to know what’s really in it. Also, if your skin is sensitive, fragrance is again not your best friend. It’s the number one cause of contact allergy to cosmetics.
Fragrance is added to provide a pleasant scent. However, it's a common allergen, making it important for sensitive individuals to proceed with caution. The exact composition of fragrance is often undisclosed, making it difficult to assess potential irritants.
There is definitely some craze going on for coconut oil both in the healthy eating space (often claimed to be the healthiest oil to cook with but this is a topic for another site) and in the skin and hair care space. We will talk here about the latter two and see why we might want to smear it all over ourselves. Chemically speaking, coconut oil has a unique fatty acid profile. Unlike many plant oils that mostly contain unsaturated fatty acids (fatty acids with double bonds and kinky structure such as linoleic or oleic), coconut oil is mostly saturated (fatty acids with single bonds only) and its most important fatty acid is Lauric Acid (about 50%). Saturated fatty acids have a linear structure that can stack nice and tight and hence they are normally solid at room temperature. Coconut oil melts around 25 °C so it is solid in the tub but melts on contact with the skin. The saturated nature of coconut oil also means that it is a heavy-duty-oil ideal for dry skin types. A double-blind research confirmed that extra virgin coconut oil is as effective in treating xerosis (aka very dry skin) as mineral oil. Another study found that coconut oil is more effective than mineral oil in treating mild to moderate atopic dermatitis (aka eczema) in children. So when it comes to dry skin, coconut oil is a goodie, no question there. The question is if it is good or bad for acne-prone skin. Its main fatty acid, Lauric Acid has some research showing that it is a promising ingredient against evil acne-causing bacteria, P. acnes but at the same time, both Lauric Acid and coconut oil have a very high comedogenic rating (4 out of 5). Though comedogenic ratings are not very reliable, anecdotal evidence (i.e. people commenting in forums) shows that people have mixed experiences. While some claim that it worked wonders on their acne others say that it gave them serious blackheads and zits. Try it at your own risk. As for hair care, coconut oil has pretty solid research showing that it can penetrate into the hair very well (better than mineral oil and sunflower oil) and it can prevent hair protein loss as well as combing damage. If you have problems with damaged hair, split ends, coconut oil is worth trying as a pre- or/and post-wash treatment. Labmuffin has an awesome blogpost explaining in more detail why coconut oil is good for your hair. A couple of other things worth mentioning: coconut oil might help with wound healing (promising animal study), it has some antifungal activity (against dermatophytes that cause the thing known as ringworm) and it also works as an insect repellent against black flies. Overall, coconut oil is definitely a goodie for the hair and dry skin. Sunflower does not need a big intro as you probably use it in the kitchen as cooking oil, or you munch on the seeds as a healthy snack or you adore its big, beautiful yellow flower during the summer - or you do all of these and probably even more. It’s a real oldie: expressed directly from the seeds, the oil is used not for hundreds but thousands of years. According to The National Sunflower Association, there is evidence that both the plant and its oil were used by American Indians in the area of Arizona and New Mexico about 3000 BC. Do the math: it's more than 5000 years - definitely an oldie. Our intro did get pretty big after all (sorry for that), so let's get to the point finally: sunflower oil - similar to other plant oils - is a great emollient that makes the skin smooth and nice and helps to keep it hydrated. It also protects the surface of the skin and enhances the damaged or irritated skin barrier. It's also loaded with fatty acids (mostly linoleic (50-74%) and oleic (14-35%)). The unrefined version (be sure to use that on your skin!) is especially high in linoleic acid that is great even for acne-prone skin.
Read also: Benefits of Olaplex Shampoo
Coconut oil is celebrated for its moisturizing and hair-strengthening properties. Its unique fatty acid profile, rich in Lauric Acid, allows it to penetrate the hair shaft, reducing protein loss and damage. While beneficial for dry skin and hair, its high comedogenic rating means it may cause issues for acne-prone individuals.
Sunflower oil, extracted from sunflower seeds, is a rich emollient. Used for thousands of years, it hydrates and smooths the skin while protecting and enhancing the skin barrier. The high linoleic acid content in unrefined sunflower oil makes it suitable for acne-prone skin.
Sodium chloride is the fancy name of salt. If (similar to us) you are in the weird habit of reading the label on your shower gel while taking a shower, you might have noticed that sodium chloride is almost always on the ingredient list. The reason for this is that salt acts as a fantastic thickener in cleansing formulas created with ionic cleansing agents (aka surfactants) such as Sodium Laureth Sulfate. A couple of percents (typically 1-3%) turns a runny surfactant solution into a nice gel texture. If you are into chemistry (if not, we understand, just skip this paragraph), the reason is that electrolytes (you know, the Na+ and Cl- ions) screen the electrostatic repulsion between the head groups of ionic surfactants and thus support the formation of long shaped micelles (instead of spherical ones) that entangle like spaghetti, and viola, a gel is formed. Other than that, salt also works as an emulsion stabilizer in water-in-oil emulsions, that is when water droplets are dispersed in the outer oil (or silicone) phase.
Sodium chloride, or salt, acts as a thickener in shampoos containing ionic surfactants. It transforms runny solutions into gel textures by reducing electrostatic repulsion between surfactant molecules. Additionally, it stabilizes water-in-oil emulsions.
Read all the geeky details about Lactic Acid here >> Butylene glycol, or let’s just call it BG, is a multi-tasking colorless, syrupy liquid. It’s a great pick for creating a nice feeling product. BG’s main job is usually to be a solvent for the other ingredients. Other tasks include helping the product to absorb faster and deeper into the skin (penetration enhancer), making the product spread nicely over the skin (slip agent), and attracting water (humectant) into the skin. It’s an ingredient whose safety hasn’t been questioned so far by anyone (at least not that we know about). BG is approved by Ecocert and is also used enthusiastically in natural products. BTW, it’s also a food additive. A common glycol that improves the freeze-thaw stability of products. An often used glycol that works as a solvent, humectant, penetration enhancer and also gives a good slip to the products.
Read also: Healthier Hair Solutions
Glycols serve multiple purposes in shampoo formulations. Butylene glycol (BG) acts as a solvent, penetration enhancer, slip agent, and humectant. It improves product absorption, spreadability, and hydration. Its safety is well-regarded, and it's approved for use in natural products. Glycols also improve the freeze-thaw stability of products.
A mild and non-drying cleanser that gives skin a nice and soft after-feel. Pretty much the current IT-preservative. A superstar AHA that not only exfoliates skin but is also a very good moisturizer. It's one of those things that help your cosmetics not to go wrong too soon, aka a preservative.
Additional ingredients may include gentle cleansers for a soft after-feel, preservatives to maintain product integrity, and AHAs that exfoliate and moisturize.
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