Haircare Ingredients Checker: Find out if your favourite products are doing more harm than good

Most haircare products contain damaging ingredients that will harm your hair and scalp over time.

It doesn’t matter how expensive they are, who promotes them, or how ‘clean’ they claim to be — the vast majority will cause long-term damage.

I know that’s tough to believe when there’s so much conflicting information out there about what’s healthy and what’s harmful in haircare. One source says silicones are safe, another says they’re damaging. A product is labelled sulfate-free, but still strips your hair.

It’s overwhelming, and it’s hard to know what information to trust.

Ingredient names are technical, marketing claims are vague, and even brands that position themselves as clean or gentle often use the same problematic ingredients as everyone else.

I spent years wondering why my hair reacted really well to products in the first instance, and then it was like the product stopped working. I thought I just hadn’t found the right products for my hair.

Through a lot of research, trial and error, I figured out the problem was the preservatives, alcohols, harsh sulfates, and synthetic fragrances in every product. I cut them out of my haircare routine, and my hair has never been healthier.

That’s where the ingredients checker comes in.

🔍 Ingredient Analyser

Enter the full ingredient list of your product below

Enter Ingredients:

Click here to try an example

Analyse Ingredients Clear

⚠️ Blacklisted Ingredients Found

Paste in any ingredient list — these are usually found on online store product listings — and the tool will identify ingredients that don’t belong in a modern, functional haircare routine.

It will flag:

• Banned or restricted preservatives

• Silicones that don’t rinse out

• Drying alcohols

• Film-forming quats and polymers

• Anything that interferes with long-term hair health

You can also read a bit more below about the ingredients I’ve blacklisted, and why.

Most hair products are made to feel good, not to improve hair health

Haircare marketing is built around instant results — softness, shine, volume. But the ingredients that create those effects don’t always support the health of your hair.

Many formulas rely on:

• Coating agents that block hydration

• Harsh cleansers that strip the scalp

• Preservatives with toxicity concerns

• Fillers and film-formers that accumulate over time

You can’t spot that from the front of the bottle. You have to read the ingredients and understand what they actually do.

Has your hair ever felt great with a new product the first time you used it, but worse with the same product over time? This is probably why.

Ingredients to avoid in hair products

Here are just a few common ingredients found in everyday shampoos, conditioners, and stylers — including expensive and ‘clean’ brands — that cause more harm than good.

DMDM Hydantoin

A preservative that works by releasing formaldehyde. This ingredient has been restricted or banned in multiple regions. It’s unnecessary and inappropriate in any rinse-off or leave-in product.

Behenoxy Dimethicone

A heavy silicone that coats the hair in a film that resists rinsing. It blocks moisture, traps buildup, and leaves hair looking dull and feeling dry — even when it’s technically “clean.”

Phenoxyethanol

Commonly used in modern products as a preservative, but often overused. It’s drying, especially with repeat exposure, and not ideal in rinse-off formulations where safer alternatives exist.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate (SLSa)

A strong foaming surfactant. Despite being plant-derived, it strips the hair and scalp of natural oils and increases porosity over time.

Polyquaternium-7

A synthetic film-former. It clings to the hair and builds up with repeated use. It doesn’t moisturise — it masks. Once it accumulates, your hair will stop responding to other products.

Cocamide DEA

A foam booster linked to the formation of nitrosamines — compounds with known carcinogenic potential. Banned or restricted in many countries.

SD Alcohol 40 / Isopropanol / Ethanol

These solvents evaporate quickly, but they also draw moisture out of the hair. Long-term use leads to brittleness and rough texture — especially in leave-ins and sprays.

These ingredients are everywhere

You’ll find them in:

• Supermarket brands

• Professional salon ranges

• Natural and organic lines

• Leave-ins, sprays, masks, serums, gels

And they’re not always easy to spot. Many show up under unfamiliar names or are buried in a long list of compounds that sound safe to use.

Let me know how you go!

Once you know what to look for, it’s much easier to spot harmful products and build a routine that actually works for you.

If you’re unsure, try it out for a month and let me know what happens!

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