Rosemary Mint + HBCO Scalp Care Shampoo

US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.

• 1 Water · Aqua (Water)
  General function

  The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.

  Leading ingredient

  Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

  • solvent
• 2 Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
  General function

  Aloe gel, used for light moisture and slip. High in the list it also contributes a little natural hold.

  Leading ingredient

  Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

  May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold

  Gums thicken and set soft, which gives definition that bends rather than a rigid cast.

  May suitFine or easily flattened hair

  Hydration with no oil attached, so it adds very little weight even high on a list.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Aloe is mostly water carrying sugars that bind more of it, which is why it turns up as the base of moisture-first formulas.

  • humectant
  • botanical extract
  • gum
• 3 Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
  General function

  A strong non-sulfate detergent used in "sulfate-free" shampoos. It cleans about as thoroughly as a sulfate despite the label difference.

  Leading ingredient

  Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

  May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

  A strong detergent with no sulfate on the label. It removes deposited films about as completely as a sulfate does.

  May not suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Sulfate-free on the label is a naming fact, not a mildness one: this is an efficient detergent, and hair short of moisture can feel it.

  PubChem
  • olefin sulfonate cleanser
  • cleanser
• 4 Cocamidopropyl Betaine
  General function

  A mild coconut-derived co-cleanser that boosts foam and softens the effect of stronger detergents. It appears in most shampoos, gentle or not.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  Mild cleansing leaves more surface lubrication in place on hair that dries out quickly.

  May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

  The mildest detergents are also the least complete: a routine that deposits films needs something stronger periodically.

  DependsVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Among the mildest detergents in use — it is what baby shampoos are built on — but it is almost always the second detergent in a formula. How much a wash strips is still decided by the primary detergent listed above it.

  Indian Journal of Dermatology
  • amphoteric cleanser
  • secondary cleanser
  • cleanser
• 5 Glyceryl Stearate Se
  General function

  A self-emulsifying version of glyceryl stearate that builds a cream on its own.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

  PubChem
  • emulsifier
  • emollient
• 6 Glycerin
  General function

  A small water-loving molecule that draws moisture into the hair and holds it there. It is the most common softening ingredient in conditioners and leave-ins.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.

  DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

  Water moves both ways. Measured across concentrations, glycerin solutions give water up in some conditions and take it from the air in others. What it does for you depends on how much of it is there and on the air around it.

  Scientific Reports
  • humectant
• 7 Sodium Coco-Sulfate
  General function

  A coconut-derived sulfate detergent, chemically close to sodium lauryl sulfate and similarly strong.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

  A sulfate detergent removes deposited silicone, wax and styling films in one wash, which is what resets a routine before build-up is visible.

  May suitFine or easily flattened hair

  Fine hair that goes limp under conditioning films usually reads a full detergent wash as volume returning.

  May not suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  Coarse and high-porosity hair loses water quickly on its own; an efficient detergent removes the surface oils that were slowing that down.

  • sulfate cleanser
  • cleanser
• 8 Sorbitol
  General function

  A sugar-based humectant that adds moisture and a slight cushiony feel.

  Supporting ingredient

  Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.

  DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

  A humectant moves water in whichever direction the air allows: it holds moisture in humid conditions and can pull it back out of hair in very dry ones.

  PubChem
  • humectant
• 9 Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate
  General function

  A sugar-based cleanser given an anionic group so it foams more like a conventional detergent while staying mild.

  Secondary ingredient

  Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.

  May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold

  The detergent class most curl routines are built around: it lathers and cleanses without stripping the strand back to bare.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  A gentler detergent leaves more of the surface oil that slows water loss from coarse or porous hair.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Cleanses with less sebum removal than a sulfate detergent, so hair that is short of moisture keeps more of it through the wash.

  • mild anionic cleanser
  • cleanser
• 10 Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
  General function

  A mild cleanser that keeps foaming in hard water and rinses cleanly.

  Secondary ingredient

  Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.

  May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold

  The detergent class most curl routines are built around: it lathers and cleanses without stripping the strand back to bare.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  A gentler detergent leaves more of the surface oil that slows water loss from coarse or porous hair.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Cleanses with less sebum removal than a sulfate detergent, so hair that is short of moisture keeps more of it through the wash.

  • mild anionic cleanser
  • cleanser
• 11 Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
  General function

  One of the few oils small enough to move into the strand, which is why it is used for pre-wash treatments. It can feel heavy or stiff on protein-sensitive hair.

  Secondary ingredient

  Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  Because it penetrates rather than sits on top, it works on hair that loses water through a worn cuticle instead of only slowing evaporation from the surface the way a non-penetrating oil does.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  The exception to the class read: lauric acid is small and linear enough to enter the shaft rather than only coat it, and in comparison testing coconut oil was the one that reduced protein loss from washing on both undamaged and damaged hair.

  International Journal of Trichology
  • oil
  • emollient
• 12 Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
  General function

  A rich, solid plant butter used for heavy conditioning on coarse or dry hair. High in the list it makes a product decidedly heavy.

  Secondary ingredient

  Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  Coarse, porous hair loses water quickly and can carry the weight; a butter slows that loss more than a thin oil does.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  A solid fat melts onto the strand at body temperature and stays there, which is the heaviest surface moisture-holding a formula can offer.

  • butter
  • emollient
  • sealant
• 13 Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil
  General function

  A thick, tacky oil used for sealing ends and for slick, held-down styles.

  Secondary ingredient

  Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

  • oil
  • emollient
• ▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
• 14 Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
  General function

  Peppermint essential oil, used for scent and the cooling feeling on the scalp.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

  Essential oils are fragrance. Several carry constituents on the EU list of declared fragrance allergens, so a label with no fragrance line can still be a scented product.

  • botanical extract
  • essential oil
  • fragrance
• 15 Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract
  • botanical extract
  • antioxidant
• 16 Yucca Schidigera Extract
• 17 Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract · Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract
  • botanical extract
  • antioxidant
• 18 Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract
  • botanical extract
• 19 Hydrolyzed Adansonia Digitata (Baobab) Seed Extract
  General function

  A broken-down baobab seed extract, used for conditioning and strength claims.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Filling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Hydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.

  • botanical extract
  • protein
  • hydrolysed protein
• 20 Hydrolyzed Quinoa
  General function

  A quinoa-derived protein used for light strengthening and colour retention claims.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Filling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.

  May suitMaximum-hold styling

  Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Hydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.

  • film former
  • protein
  • hydrolysed protein
• 21 Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
  General function

  A light plant protein that adds body and shine, popular in volume products.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Filling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.

  May suitMaximum-hold styling

  Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  Hydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.

  • film former
  • protein
  • hydrolysed protein
• 22 Fragrance
  General function

  An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

  Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.

  • fragrance
  • declared fragrance
• 23 Cetearyl Alcohol
  General function

  A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.

  PubChem
  • fatty alcohol
  • emollient
  • thickener
• 24 Stearamine Oxide
  • amphoteric cleanser
  • secondary cleanser
• 25 Olealkonium Chloride
  General function

  A positively charged conditioning agent. Damaged hair carries a negative charge, so it deposits where the damage is and makes wet hair comb through.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  The class that does the detangling in a conditioner. It deposits lubrication where the cuticle is worn.

  DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines

  Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

  • conditioning agent
• 26 Polyquaternium-7
  General function

  A conditioning polymer that improves wet combing and adds body. Repeated use can build up on fine hair.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold

  Cationic polymers hold a curl loosely and stay soft, which is why they turn up in definition products rather than firm-hold ones.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  A cationic polymer stays on the hair through rinsing, which is what keeps static and combing friction down after the wash.

  May suitMaximum-hold styling

  Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.

  • conditioning agent
  • film former
  • polymer
• 27 Tocopheryl Acetate
  • antioxidant
  • vitamin
• 28 Menthol
  General function

  Produces the cooling, tingling feeling on the scalp. The sensation is real; it is not evidence that anything else is happening.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

  Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.

  PubChem
  • fragrance
  • active
• 29 Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
  General function

  A conditioning polymer made from guar bean gum. It deposits during rinsing, which is why sulfate shampoos can still leave hair soft.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold

  Gums thicken and set soft, which gives definition that bends rather than a rigid cast.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  Cationic conditioners bind to the negatively charged damaged cuticle, laying it flat and cutting the friction that causes combing breakage.

  May suitMaximum-hold styling

  A styling polymer dries into a film across the strands, which is what makes a shape hold instead of relax.

  • conditioning agent
  • polymer
  • gum
• 30 Gluconolactone
  General function

  A gentle acid that holds water and helps loosen surface build-up. It also binds a little hard-water mineral.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

  Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.

  May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

  High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

  May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

  Copper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.

  PubChem
  • humectant
  • exfoliant
  • hard-water chelator
• 31 Sodium Chloride
  • salt
  • thickener
• 32 Sodium Sulfate
  • salt
• 33 Sodium Hydroxide
  General function

  A strong base used in trace amounts to raise pH; fully neutralised in the finished product.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  DependsFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  The alkali half of a pH-adjusting pair, used in small amounts to bring a formula up to its target rather than to make it alkaline. Alkaline conditions raise the fibre's surface charge and lift the scales — but the finished pH is not on the label.

  International Journal of Trichology
  • pH adjuster
• 34 Alcohol Denat. · Ethanol
  General function

  Fast-drying alcohol used to make sprays set quickly. In leave-on products it can leave hair feeling dry, especially in high position on the list.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitFine or easily flattened hair

  Evaporates on contact, which is how a spray sets almost instantly and leaves no weight behind it.

  PubChem
  • drying alcohol
  • solvent
• 35 Sorbic Acid
  • preservative
• 36 Potassium Sorbate
  • preservative
• 37 Sodium Benzoate
  • preservative
• 38 Benzyl Alcohol
  • preservative
  • solvent
• 39 Citric Acid
  General function

  Used to bring the product to a slightly acidic pH, which helps the cuticle lie flat. It is almost always near the end of the list.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

  Holds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the hair.

  May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  The acid side of pH adjustment, and the reason it matters is measured: alkaline formulas raise the fibre's surface negative charge, increase friction between strands and lift the scales, while lower-pH ones do the reverse.

  May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

  Where a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.

  International Journal of Trichology
  • pH adjuster
  • hard-water chelator
• 40 Limonene
  General function

  A citrus-smelling fragrance component that EU rules require to be named separately because some people react to it.

  Estimated lower-concentration zone

  It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

  May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines

  One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.

  PubChem
  • fragrance
  • named fragrance allergen

What the whole list adds up to

• 6 botanical extracts
• 5 cleansers
• 5 emollients
• 4 humectants
• 4 fragrances
• 4 preservatives
• 3 solvents
• 3 antioxidants
• 3 proteins
• 3 hydrolysed proteins
• 3 film formers
• 3 conditioning agents
• 2 gums
• 2 amphoteric cleansers

Ingredient list captured 2026-09-16. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.