Babassu & Mint Deep Conditioner

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

A fatty alcohol used to soften skin and stabilize creams. Despite the name, it does not dry the skin.

A stable, saturated version of squalene, a lipid the skin already produces, now usually sourced from olives or sugarcane instead of shark liver. It is very well tolerated across skin types and helps reinforce the skin barrier.

A long-chain quaternary ammonium compound used in rinse-off conditioners and leave-on styling products for conditioning and static control. It is well documented in cosmetic use with a strong safety record.

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.

A lightweight humectant and solvent similar in role to propylene glycol, used to carry actives and give lotions a lighter feel. CIR has reviewed it and considers it safe as used in cosmetics.

A widely used preservative, safe at the legal limit of 1% or less. Often the "paraben-free" replacement.

A lightweight, odorless emollient made by combining coconut or palm-derived fatty acids with glycerin. It spreads easily, feels non-greasy, and has a long history of use in skin and hair products with no meaningful irritation or sensitization signal.

A positively charged conditioning polymer used in shampoos and conditioners to reduce frizz and improve manageability. It is well tolerated and has been safely used in cosmetics for decades.

A quaternary ammonium conditioning agent that coats hair with a positive charge to smooth the cuticle, cut static, and ease detangling; it is one of the most common conditioning ingredients in rinse-off conditioners. CIR reviewed it as part of the trimonium family and found it safe as used, including in leave-on formulas at typical concentrations.

A quaternary ammonium salt used as a conditioning and antistatic agent in hair products. It has been extensively documented as safe in cosmetics when used in typical rinse-off formulations.

A modified guar gum used to thicken and stabilize emulsions and gels. It is derived from guar beans and is well tolerated when applied topically. It is common in skincare formulas where a smooth texture is valued.

A naturally occurring acid used to preserve and adjust pH in cosmetic formulas. It is generally recognized as safe at cosmetic use levels, with mild irritation possible on broken or very sensitive skin at higher concentrations.

Technically a liquid wax ester rather than a true oil, jojoba closely resembles skin's own sebum and absorbs without feeling greasy. It is well tolerated across skin types, including acne-prone skin, with no significant irritation or comedogenicity signal in the available data.

A protein fragment that draws water into the hair shaft and is used to strengthen and add body. People with wheat sensitivity or protein allergies should patch-test first, as protein hydrolysates can trigger reactions in those with known sensitivities.

A buffering agent used in small amounts to maintain or adjust the pH of formulas to keep them skin-friendly. It is not added as an active ingredient but to keep the product at a safe and stable pH level.

Undecane is a straight-chain hydrocarbon (an alkane) used as a lightweight, fast-spreading emollient and solvent, often paired with tridecane as a silicone alternative in modern formulas. It has not been reviewed under its own name, but CIR's assessment of the closely related isoparaffin and hydrocarbon solvent group, across a wide concentration range, did not turn up genotoxicity, reproductive, developmental, or carcinogenicity concerns.

A glycerin derivative used as a skin conditioner and preservative booster, often paired with phenoxyethanol to allow lower total preservative levels. It has a low irritation and sensitization profile in safety reviews.

A plant-derived emollient oil rich in ricinoleic acid, used in skincare for decades. Contact allergy has been reported but is uncommon relative to how widely it is used in leave-on products.

A linoleic-acid-rich plant oil used as an emollient and, in some small pediatric studies, associated with support of the skin barrier when applied to infant skin. It is well tolerated with a low reported rate of contact reactions.

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

Tridecane is a straight-chain hydrocarbon (an alkane) almost always used alongside undecane as a light, quick-absorbing emollient and silicone substitute. As with undecane, it has not been reviewed individually, but it sits in the same simple-hydrocarbon family CIR has assessed without flagging genotoxicity, reproductive, developmental, or carcinogenicity concerns across the concentrations tested.

An essential oil rich in menthol and other terpenes. It adds a cooling, fresh note to products but is a known skin irritant and contact allergen, especially in leave-on products or for people with sensitive or inflamed skin. The oil oxidizes over time, increasing allergenicity.

A plant oil from the Babassu palm kernel, similar in fatty acid profile to coconut oil. It is well tolerated as a skin emollient at standard cosmetic concentrations, with no documented safety concerns in published literature.

A naturally occurring alpha-hydroxy acid (AHA) from grapes, used for gentle exfoliation and pH adjustment. At exfoliating concentrations and low pH, it can irritate sensitive skin. More research exists on glycolic and lactic acids; use with caution if you react to other AHAs.

A common preservative and fragrance/solvent ingredient found naturally in many essential oils. It is well tolerated by most people at the levels used in cosmetics, but it is one of the 26 EU-designated fragrance allergens and can trigger reactions in people with an existing sensitivity.

The sodium salt of benzoic acid, used as a preservative in both foods and cosmetics. Decades of safety review support its use at typical cosmetic concentrations, with mild irritation the main reported issue in sensitive skin.

A widely used, gentle preservative also common in food. It is generally well tolerated, though it can occasionally cause mild, transient irritation in people with already-compromised or very reactive skin.