The Body Shop Ginger Scalp Care Shampoo
The Body Shop – Ginger Scalp Care shampoo is one of the best shampoos that I’ve ever used, and definitely my favorite shampoo, so the perfect product for my first cosmetics review. 🙂 The Ginger Scalp Care shampoo is very effective to maintain a clean, flake-free healthy scalp AND beautiful shiny hair. It lathers and cleans very nicely, leaving a refreshing feeling. One thing to note is that I don’t even feel the need of the hair conditioner with this shampoo, thanks to the presence of Honey and Panthenol in it. So, I can use one less hair product by skipping the hair conditioner, in turn, less waste to the environment. Moreover, it helps my hair washing routine get simpler and quicker, which I appreciate a lot.
How about the scents? It has a certain ginger smell as the name implies. But it is very subtle, and almost no scent remains after wash.
The downside of The Body Shop – Ginger Scalp Care shampoo is that it contains Parabens, especially Propylparaben, which is known for its high risk as an endocrine disruptor. It also contains Sodium Laureth Sulfate that can be seen as a problematic ingredient by some people. Therefore, if you are looking for 100% Natural, Sodium Laureth Sulfate-free, Fragrance-free or Paraben-free, this shampoo doesn’t cut it. However, I find that the superior functionality of Ginger Scalp Care shampoo trumps over the downside of its ingredient aspect, though it would be ideal if the body shop remove Parabens (esp., Propylparaben) from the ingredient list.
The following is the full ingredient list with the simple explanation and EWG’s Skin Deep safety rating (0-10, 10 being the highest risk) of each ingredient.
Full Ingredients
1. Aqua/Water (Solvent/Diluent),
2. Sodium Laureth Sulfate (Surfactant) (Potential human irritant for use around the eyes, on the skin, high concerns on impurities (Ethylene Oxide or 1,4-Dioxane) – EWG Score=3, low-to-moderate risk)
3. Cocamide DEA (a chemically-modified form of coconut oil; Foaming agent) (Possible human carcinogen, EWG Score=7, moderate-to-high risk)
4. Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Surfactant) (EWG Score=4)
5. Sodium Chloride (Viscosity Modifier) (EWG Score=0)
6. Polysorbate 20 (Emulsifier) (EWG Score=3)
7. Piroctone Olamine (Antidandruff Agent) (EWG Score=2)
8. Phenoxyethanol (Preservative) (EWG Score=4)
9. Panthenol (Hair Conditioning Agent) (EWG Score=1)
10. Propylene Glycol (Humectant) (EWG Score=3)
11. Dimethicone Propyl PG-Betaine (Skin Conditioning Agent) (EWG Score=N/A, no data)
12. Mel/Honey (Natural Additive) (EWG Score=0)
13. Citric Acid (pH Adjuster) (EWG Score=2)
14. Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (Hair Conditioning Agent) (EWG Score=1)
15. Sodium Salicylate (Preservative) (EWG Score=1)
16. Methylparaben (Potential human endocrine disruptor, immune toxicant or allergen, but determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations – EWG Score=4, moderate risk)
17. Parfum (Fragrance) (an undisclosed mixture of various scent chemicals and ingredients used as fragrance dispersants such as diethyl phthalate – EWG Score=7)
18. Glycerin (Humectant) (EWG Score=0)
19. Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent) (EWG Score=0)
20. Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient) (EWG Score=5)
21. Butylparaben (Potential human endocrine disruptor, immune toxicant or allergen, but determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations – EWG Score=7, moderate-to-high risk)
22. Ethylparaben (Potential human endocrine disruptor, immune toxicant or allergen, but determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations – EWG Score=4, moderate risk)
23. Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract (Natural Additive) (EWG Score=0)
24. Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient) (EWG Score=6)
25. Betula Alba Bark Extract (Fragrance Ingredient) (EWG Score=2)
26. Propylparaben (Potential human endocrine disruptor, immune toxicant or allergen, but determined safe for use in cosmetics, subject to concentration or use limitations – EWG Score=10, high risk)
27. Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract (Hair & Skin Conditioning Agent) (EWG Score=1)
28. Citral (Fragrance Ingredient) (EWG Score=7)
29. Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient) (EWG Score=5)
30. Evernia Prunastri Extract (Fragrance Ingredient) (EWG Score=7)
31. Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative) (EWG Score=5)
Oh boy, it has 31 ingredients, including notorious Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Parabens! But it doesn’t have any of the five Parabens (Isopropylparaben, isobutylparaben, phenylparaben, benzylparaben, and pentylparaben) that are to be prohibited in cosmetic products in the EU countries from 30 July 2015.
Below is the ingredient list from the body shop website, which is slightly different from the ingredient list on the bottle (above). It has no Parabens, but Sodium Benzoate (Preservative) instead.
Full Ingredients: Aqua/Water/Eau (Solvent/Diluent), Sodium Laureth Sulfate (Surfactant), Cocamidopropyl Betaine (Surfactant), Sodium Chloride (Viscosity Modifier), Polysorbate 20 (Emulsifier), Piroctone Olamine (Antidandruff Agent), Panthenol (Hair Conditioning Agent), Sodium Benzoate (Preservative), Citric Acid (pH Adjuster), Propylene Glycol (Humectant), Dimethicone Propyl PG-Betaine (Skin Conditioning Agent), Mel/Honey/Miel (Natural Additive), PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate (Viscosity Modifier), Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride (Hair Conditioning Agent), Sodium Salicylate (Preservative), Salix Alba Bark Extract/Salix Alba (Willow) Bark Extract (Hair & Skin Conditioning Agent), Parfum/Fragrance (Fragrance), Disodium EDTA (Chelating Agent), Linalool (Fragrance Ingredient), Zingiber Officinale Root Extract/Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract (Natural Additive), Limonene (Fragrance Ingredient), Betula Alba Bark Extract (Fragrance Ingredient), Citronellol (Fragrance Ingredient), Citral (Fragrance Ingredient), Benzyl Alcohol (Preservative).
Perhaps, this is a new formula of the ginger scalp care shampoo?? If so, it would be nice.
Where to Buy: The Body Shop stores and its website are the best place to shop, though Amazon and some other outlets sell the body shop products online. The retail prices of 8.4 fl oz and 13.5 fl oz are $10.00 and $14.00, respectively. However, The Body Shop runs the sales events frequently, so you often get a chance to buy them at half price. And, additional saving with Groupon is also possible from time to time. So, the price is not too bad, I think.
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What do you think about The Body Shop – Ginger Scalp Care shampoo? If you have tried this product, please rate the product below and share your experience.
