Recently, I have mainly been making skin cleansing products. Of course, shampoos, facial cleansers and body washes are available under a wide range of brands. The choice is even difficult due to the huge variety of supplies. The reason for my enthusiasm is the lack of fragrance and naturalness. I prefer to use completely fragrance-free products in my daily cosmetics. Naturalness means simple, short INCI lists and natural cosmetics-grade ingredients to me. In this article, I will tell you which ingredients make for the most natural and at the same time gentle cleanser.
What ingredients do skin cleansers of mainstream cosmetics contain?
Modern skin cleansers are strictly controlled. Many previously popular ingredients have disappeared due to new restrictions. Consumer awareness of ingredients has also increased significantly. Many people know how to demand sulphate-free products. The difference between natural cosmetics and mainstream cosmetics has narrowed to a very small extent. Often the only difference may be the perfume and the preservative system.
Most of the ingredients in washing products are just water. Shower gel usually contains 60–80% plain water.
Surfactants
Surfactants form the second largest group of ingredients in products intended for skin cleansing. Usually, the product contains at least three different detergent ingredients. This way the foaming and cleaning ability of the product can be optimized effectively.
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLS
SLS has been almost the only detergent ingredient for decades in liquid body washes, toothpastes and as part of hair shampoos. Sometimes in the 80s, cheap shampoos were sold that contained only water, SLS, a thickener, a dye and perfume. This kind of shampoo ruined the hair of many people. SLS is a very effective detergent that is used in all industries. SLS is commonly used, for example, to wash car engines because it has such a phenomenal ability to remove grease. Is such a substance suitable for washing the skin, hair or teeth? Well, definitely not.
As I said at the beginning, SLS and other sulphates are being phased out, at least in the most expensive body washes. Unfortunately, sulphates are found in almost every hair shampoo sold in supermarkets.
Why is SLS so popular? SLS is a very inexpensive washing ingredient. It is also very stable, so the product remains unchanged, even for years. So, it is no wonder that SLS is such a popular washing ingredient.
Glucosides
Glucosides such as Decyl Glucoside are mild, washing agents that have similar chemical properties to SLS. However, they do not have the phenomenal ability to remove fat from the skin, so they are much gentler. Glucosides are just more expensive than SLS. Therefore, they are only used in small amounts in cheaper washing products.
Cocamidopropyl Betaine or CAB
One of the most popular washing ingredients is Cocamidopropyl Betaine or CAB. CAB is also popular in natural cosmetics.
CAB is an ingredient that is very useful in cosmetic cleansers. For example, in shampoos, CAB or a similar ingredient is necessary to eliminate static electricity. Products intended for skin cleansing can of course be made without CAB, but the properties of the final product, such as foaming, suffer.
The problem with CAB is its sensitizing effect. Omitting CAB from the product is often not a good option. CAB is also an inexpensive ingredient and replacing it with other similar products would significantly increase the price of the final product. CAB can be replaced with, for example, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, which does not cause skin sensitization. Unfortunately, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate is a significantly more expensive ingredient.
Emulsifiers
If the product is completely clear and transparent, no emulsifiers have been used at all. If the product is creamy, milky and/or contains oils, an emulsifier must be used. Most of the washing ingredients in mainstream cosmetics contain some kind of emulsifier.
An emulsifier is a useless ingredient in surfactants. Its purpose is not to improve the cleaning or care properties of the product. The purpose of an emulsifier is to bind insoluble ingredients together. Emulsifiers also give the product a pearlescent shine. The consumer perceives such a product as caring and gentle, even though it is not necessarily so.
Moisturizing ingredients
Many surfactants contain moisturizing ingredients. Consumers perceive such a product as gentle. For example, Glycerin and propylene glycol are very common ingredients in shampoos and other surfactants. These ingredients are of course moisturizing, but they do not moisturize the skin and hair when they are added to surfactants. The purpose of moisturizing ingredients in surfactants is to keep the product moist and to preserve its structure as long as possible, even if you leave the cap open.
Many moisturizing ingredients also acts as a solvent for other ingredients. They also improve the composition and shelf life of the product.
Active ingredients
Body and hair wash products are rich in so-called active ingredients. Manufacturers claim that they care for the skin and hair. Often these ingredients are special oils such as argan oil, almond oil or rosehip oil. Various plant extracts such as lavender, citrus fruits, vanilla and mint are also very popular “active ingredients”.
Active ingredients are completely useless and even harmful in washing products. Oils and plant extracts always require various solvents and emulsifiers to combine evenly with the product. Even if the actual oil itself is not harmful to the skin or hair, the emulsifier can be. At least oils, extracts, emulsifiers and solvents are completely useless when you want to wash something.
Acidity regulators
Many people consider the acidity regulators contained in cosmetics to be a problem. In cosmetics, the acidity of products, or pH, is often lowered to a level of 4.5-5.5. This is a skin-friendly acidity. Citric acid is commonly used to adjust acidity. Citric acid is not made from lemons, but in chemical factories using Mold growth to its advantage. Many people avoid citric acid for this reason. Many also report that they get skin symptoms from chemically produced citric acid. The human body naturally contains citric acid, which the body produces itself.
Citric acid can be replaced with lactic acid in some products. Lactic acid is significantly more expensive and does not work in all products or with all washing ingredients. That is why citric acid is in so many body and hair wash products.
Both pH adjusters have been found to be safe to use.
Fragrances and dyes
Most washing products contain fragrances and dyes. Cosmetic products are sold with fragrances and colours. Consumers were not willing to buy a product that does not smell good and is completely colourless.
In natural cosmetics, the colorants are plant extracts or mica colours. In mainstream cosmetics, natural colorants are also quite common, but synthetic colours are commonly used. This is a common reason to avoid mainstream cosmetics.
More fragrance-free products have entered the market. The reason is the explosive growth of fragrance hypersensitivity. Consumers have woken up and started demanding products that do not have any fragrance. Yet most products still have fragrance.
For those who are sensitive to fragrance, it makes no difference whether the fragrance comes from natural or artificial fragrances. A sensitized body reacts to absolutely everything that smells.
Natural essential oils are used as fragrances in natural cosmetics. Natural fragrances must not contain fixatives, which bind the fragrance and prevent it from evaporating. Synthetic fragrances, on the other hand, contain fixatives. They are also made from several components, the composition of which is not necessarily stated. That is why natural fragrances are preferable to synthetic fragrances.
Preservatives
Preservatives are not beneficial for the skin or hair, but they are necessary in all products that contain water.
Preservatives in mainstream cosmetics are very effective, so you can store the product for a long time without any worries. For example, Methylisothiazolone (MI) is a common and effective preservative that is effective in very low concentrations. However, it can sensitize and cause skin irritation.
DMDM hydantoin is a formaldehyde releaser. It is commonly used as a preservative in hygiene products in mainstream cosmetics. Formaldehyde causes irritation, allergies and respiratory cancer.
The biggest difference between natural cosmetics and mainstream cosmetics today is the preservative systems. The preservative systems in natural cosmetics have developed considerably in recent years. There are effective preservatives that are not even classified as preservatives. Preservatives in natural cosmetics can also sensitize the skin and cause allergies. After all, they are made from organic ingredients. However, preservatives in natural cosmetics are quite safe and have not been found to be carcinogenic.
A cleansing product is never a treatment
You should note that no cleansing product can ever be a treatment. The function of a cleansing product is to cleanse the skin, hair, teeth, etc. Even if the cleansing product contains any herbs, oils, moisturizing ingredients and other treatment substances, they cannot be absorbed into the hair or skin. The cleansing product washes away such substances. Therefore, you do not need to pay for expensive plant extracts and oils in a cleansing product. They have no effect. They are washed down the drain with the washing water.
A cleansing product cannot be a treatment, but it can be gentle and less harmful to the skin. When you learn to choose gentler products for cleansing your skin and hair, you will have less to take care of. Care products are applied to the skin and hair after cleansing. This way they work properly and don’t wash off.
KIS-style body shampoo
I make all my own cleansing products because I want to use only simple products. This way the chemical load is significantly lower.
Commercial cosmetics are made from a different source than homemade cosmetics. Commercial cosmetics; both natural cosmetics and mainstream cosmetics are someone’s business. The products must make money from selling them, and therefore the products must sell. Many of the ingredients in cleansing products are just to make the product more interesting and thus sell it. It’s natural and I completely accept it.
When I make my own cosmetics, I don’t have to think about scents and colours if I don’t want to. In cleansing products, I follow the KIS principle (Keep It Simple). I only use ingredients that are beneficial.
The INCI of the body shampoo is very simple:
- water
- three mild surfactants
- natural gelling agent
- pH adjuster
- natural cosmetic-grade preservative.
The gelling agent could also be omitted, but the shampoo is easier to apply if it is slightly gel-like. This type of body shampoo is safe, gentle but sufficiently cleansing.
Hair cleansing products are a bit more complicated, but the principle is the same. Everything unnecessary is left out and the product only contains ingredients that are beneficial.