Famed for their no-frills formulations, the popular skincare brand The Ordinary is set out to end the mass hysteria towards sulphates in hair care products. If you — like many of us — have diligently tried to seek out sulphate-free formulations when you’re shopping for shampoos and conditioners, the brand has bravely stepped into the world of hair care, with the intention of putting a stop to fearmongering.
Who hasn’t heard of this brand? Offering clinical formulations to the everyday consumer, its Instagram and website are both filled to the brim with knowledge on how to best care for the skin. With a range of multi-purpose oils, retinols of various strengths, and acids of different varieties, it is apparent that the skincare company is keen on catering to the many individual needs of their consumers.
They’ve expanded their product range before, featuring cosmetic offerings with the addition of two types of foundations, a primer, and a concealer. Now, they’re taking yet another leap, introducing the latest members of the Ordinary family Sulphate 4% Cleanser for Body and Hair, Behentrimonium Chloride 2% Conditioner and Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA for Scalp, with each priced under US$15 (approx. RM60).
With education truly being at the heart of everything it does, The Ordinary decided to go against the grain. The brand is leaning into the fact that yes, their cleanser does contain sulphates — an ingredient many clean skincare brands include in their long list of controversial no-nos.
So are sulphates hair care products bad for you?
The short answer is: no. Remember this mantra — the dose makes the poison. According to Prudvi Kaka, the brand’s chief scientific officer, the anti-sulphate stance could probably be chalked up to these three factors: marketing strategies, widespread misinformation, and even potential misunderstandings of the safety and environmental impact. Combined, they result in a universal belief that sulphates cause adverse effects.
“The impact of this can be seen across the board, with consumers fearing or entirely avoiding the use of products containing sulphates,” said the brain behind this move.
It’s important to understand the role that sulphates play in formulations. They are surfactants — meaning that their job is to remove dirt and disintegrate buildup. If you’re an avid user of hairsprays and dry shampoos, or your scalp tends to veer on the oily side, sulphates (at the right percentage) are your best friends.
According to this Healthline article, the typical concentration of sulphates in traditional shampoos is between 10 to 25 percent. At 4% concentration, this hair and body cleanser decreases the odds of irritating the eyes and skin.
Although the formula is simple and short, The Ordinary has disclosed the innovation behind this creation. The brand uses SLES-2, which they claim to be “a milder sulphate that has been incorporated into the formula to be gentle on the skin, and cleanses hair without additional colour fade.”
If 4% sounds a little too low for you, here’s what the site says about it: “The molecular structure of SLES-2 is designed to provide effective cleansing at a lower concentration to minimize concerns with potential irritation associated with the use of sulphates.”
The Sulphate 4% Cleanser for Body and Hair is allegedly suitable for all hair types and all scalp needs. Judging by the brief ingredient list, that may be the case. What’s commendable in this launch is the fact that the concentration of sulphate is actually disclosed — a display of The Ordinary’s commitment to transparency.
Now that we all know how much surfactant is in the bottle of shampoo (or hair cleanser), we can all make better and more informed decisions when it comes to including sulphates in hair care products that we keep in our rotation.
Where can I get it?
As of writing this article, the hair products are mostly sold out. But here are the sites where you can bag these items when they come back into stock.
Featured image credit: Element5 Digital on Unsplash
This story first appeared on Prestige Malaysia.
The post The Ordinary is putting sulphates back in shampoo – here’s why appeared first on Prestige Online – Singapore.
