Eucalyptus and Spearmint Foaming Bath

The base most products are built on. It carries the other ingredients and has no safety concern.

A coconut-derived amphoteric surfactant used to boost foam and mildness in cleansers and shampoos. CIR has reviewed it as safe as used, but it is one of the more established contact-allergy triggers in personal care, usually traced to manufacturing impurities such as amidoamine and dimethylaminopropylamine (DMAPA) rather than the betaine itself. People with a history of eyelid or scalp dermatitis are more likely to react.

A strong foaming cleanser. It can be drying or irritating for some people, especially in leave-on or high-concentration products. It is not a toxin, and it rinses away.

A common foaming cleanser, milder than SLS. Fine for most people in a rinse-off product.

An undisclosed scent blend that can contain dozens of components. The single most common cause of cosmetic contact allergy, and the blend is not itemized, so you cannot see what is in it.

A humectant that draws water into the skin. One of the best-studied, best-tolerated ingredients in personal care.

Ordinary salt, used in surfactant-based products like shampoos and body washes to adjust viscosity by interacting with the surfactant micelles. It has no meaningful toxicity concern at cosmetic use levels; the main practical downside is that too much can make a formula feel less mild.

A mineral salt used in cosmetics as a humectant and antioxidant. It is the same compound used in food and personal care products, and is well tolerated in both rinse-off and leave-on formulations.

A chelating agent that binds trace metal ions to keep formulas stable and preservatives working properly. It is not a functional skincare "active" and only a very small amount is used, with minimal skin penetration expected.

Used in tiny amounts to set a product to skin-friendly pH. No concern at those levels.

A strong alkali used in tiny amounts to adjust the pH of cosmetics to safe, skin-friendly levels. At the pH found in finished products, sodium hydroxide is neutralized and well tolerated.

A fast-evaporating solvent used to carry actives and create a light, quick-drying texture in toners and washes. At the concentrations used in rinse-off and brief-contact formulas, it has a well-established safety record, though repeated contact with high-concentration formulas can be drying.

A small humectant and solvent molecule that helps other ingredients dissolve and helps skin hold water. It is one of the most studied cosmetic ingredients and is considered safe at the concentrations used in personal care products.

Methylchloroisothiazolinone is typically used together with methylisothiazolinone in a 3:1 mix and is a well-documented skin sensitizer at higher rates than most preservatives. EU rules now restrict this combination to rinse-off products only, at a low maximum concentration.

A preservative that caused a wave of contact allergy in the 2010s. The EU banned it from leave-on products and tightly limits it in rinse-off ones. A genuine concern, not a myth.

Benzyl salicylate is a fragrance fixative that also absorbs some UV light. It is on the EU allergen disclosure list, but the evidence suggests it sensitizes fewer people than most other listed fragrance allergens.

A floral fragrance component and one of the EU-labelled fragrance allergens. Usually fine, worth watching if you react to scented products.

A citrus-scented fragrance component. Fine for most, but it oxidizes over time into a known contact allergen, so it must be labelled in the EU.