Co-Wash

In the US, ingredients above 1% are listed from most to least. Below 1% they can appear in any order. Each note keeps three things apart: what the ingredient generally does, its role in this type of product, and what its position can tell you.

• 1 Organic Aloe Leaf Juice
  General function

  The juice pressed from Organic Aloe's leaf. Used in place of some of the water in a formula, so it often sits high on the list.

  Leading ingredient

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

  • botanical extract
  • humectant
• 2 Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil · Jojoba oil
  General function

  Not chemically an oil: about 97% of it is liquid wax esters, which is why it resists going rancid and sits close to the scalp's own sebum. It smooths without a heavy finish.

  Leading ingredient

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

  May suitMaximum-hold styling

  A wax holds by staying solid on the strand, which gives grip and separation rather than a set film that cracks.

  • emollient
  • light ester
  • oil
  • wax
• 3 Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil · Argan oil
  General function

  Argan oil. A medium-weight oil used for shine and softness on the outside of the strand.

  Leading ingredient

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

  May not suitFine or easily flattened hair

  Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.

  • oil
  • emollient
• 4 Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil · Castor oil
  General function

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

  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

  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.

  May not suitFine or easily flattened hair

  Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.

  • oil
  • emollient
• 5 Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
  General function

  Wheat protein broken into fragments small enough to cling to the hair. It adds temporary strength and body; too much can feel stiff.

  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

  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
• 6 Panthenol · Provitamin B5
  General function

  Provitamin B5. It draws in water and penetrates the strand a little, which is why it is the standard ingredient for softness and shine claims.

  Supporting ingredient

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

  May suitFine or easily flattened hair

  It hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.

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

  Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.

  May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

  A humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.

  PubChem
  • humectant
  • conditioning agent
  • vitamin
• ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
• 7 Tocopherol · Vitamins A & E
  General function

  Vitamin E. It keeps the oils in a formula from going rancid and is used at very low levels.

  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.

  PubChem
  • antioxidant
  • vitamin
• 8 Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride · Medium chain triglycerides
  General function

  A light, refined coconut-derived oil that spreads easily and does not go rancid. It gives slip without a heavy feel.

  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

  A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.

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

  Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.

  • light ester
  • emollient
• 9 Glycerin · Vegetable glycerin
  General function

  Glycerin, also called glycerol, attracts moisture and mixes completely with water.

  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

  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
• 10 Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil · Meadowfoam seed oil
  General function

  A very stable oil that forms a light, non-greasy protective layer.

  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

  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
• 11 Mustard oil
• 12 Green tea leaf extract
• 13 Rooibos leaf extract
• 14 Activated charcoal
• 15 Ylang ylang
• 16 MSM sulfur
• 17 Fragrance · Fragrance (naturally derived)
  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

What the whole list adds up to

• 5 emollients
• 4 oils
• 3 humectants
• 2 light esters
• 2 vitamins
• 1 botanical extract
• 1 wax
• 1 film former
• 1 protein
• 1 hydrolysed protein
• 1 conditioning agent
• 1 antioxidant
• 1 fragrance
• 1 declared fragrance

Ingredient list captured 2026-08-30. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.