Plum Hibiscus and Rosemary Gentle Defence Shampoo Review

Ingredient Analysis of Plum Hibiscus and Rosemary Gentle Defence Shampoo:

I always say and believe that a cosmetic is nothing but the reflection of its components. The product is safe only when the ingredients are. Plum Goodness is a brand that believes in this theory and generally does an extensive amount of research work before launching any product. Plum is against using 7 deadly ingredients in their products namely sulphates, parabens, silicones, alcohol, zinc, propylene glycol, and phthalates. Well! We must admit that it is not an easy thing to do. Their hair care products are free from SLES or SLES, which is a great sigh of relief for me or for people like me who are against using these deadly ingredients.  Plum Hibiscus and Rosemary Gentle Defence Shampoo has a number of interesting components; let’s decode each one of them in detail.

1. Aqua or Water: Forms the base of any liquid based product.
2. Cocamidopropyl Betaine: Hair conditioning agent that also works as a surfactant. It is a moderately safe component as per EWG.
3. Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate: Well! It has the abbreviation of SLS indeed but it is totally a different component. It is a moderately safe surfactant that also acts as a hair conditioning agent.
4. Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate: It is a safe surfactant and foam booster which also works as a hair conditioning agent.
5. Acrylates Copolymer: It is a safe binder that works great for hair fixation.
6. Glycol Distearate: This is a safe skin conditioning agent that is a great skin conditioning agent as well.
7. Laureth-3 and Laureth-9: Both are moderately safe surfactants.
8. Undecylenamidopropyl Peg-2 Dimonium Undecylenate: Oh my god! This is one of the biggest component names I have ever heard. So, it is actually an anti-dandruff agent that is derived naturally. This component is water-soluble and can be formulated easily in any formulation.
9. Polyquaternium-7: A hair fixing agent that is moderately safe.
10. Hibiscus Extract: What can I say more about this natural component which is rich in Vitamin A and C, AHA, Amino Acids? This is one of the oldest components used for hair growth and scalp stimulation.
11. Rosemary Leaf Extract: Another natural herb that prevents premature graying of hair. It stimulates the scalp and stops hair fall.
12. Phenoxyethanol: A moderately safe alternative to Parabens which is used as a preservative in a formula.
13. Citric Acid: It is another name for Vitamin C that is used as a chelating agent (prevents the cosmetic to adhere to the skin surface) and pH adjuster. It is also used for fragrance ingredient.
14. Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride: Wow! Another big name. This is an absolutely safe component that is used as a hair conditioning agent.
15. Ethylhexylglycerine: A fragrance ingredient that is pretty safe for skin. It is also a skin conditioning agent.
16. Fragrance: I feel it is unnecessary though; and, moreover they have not mentioned the component exactly.
17. Glycerine: It is a great humectant that retains moisture.
18. Sodium Gluconate: It is a safe chelating agent and skin conditioning agent.
19. CI 15985: This is actually Sunset Yellow color which is a safe component.
20. CI 16185: This is a cosmetic colorant known as Amaranth which is dark red or purple in color.

Alright! That’s all. So, overall the components are moderately safe. Plum has tried its best to keep it affordable and commercial. It is definitely different from the other commercial shampoos. Just one thing I would like to mention here. I recently checked Plum’s website for the components. And, I found that the order of the ingredients written online and that written on the label is not the same; this was indeed shocking to me. Here is the picture, have a look.

In fact, one or two components have been mentioned twice in the formula. I absolutely have no clue about it. I would update here once I come to know the exact order in which the components have been used in the product.  Overall, although I am not super impressed with the components yet they sound much better than that of any other commercial brands. I would go with a separate 4 out of 5 rating for the ingredients solely.

How to Read the Ingredients of Cosmetics? In any cosmetic, the ingredients are listed from high to low ratio. It means the component which is present in higher quantity is always written at the top, the one which is at the bottom or at the last position is present in low quantity. You can refer to this video for further reference.