Medicated Maximum Strength Dandruff 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 Blue 1 (CI 42090) · Blue 1
  General function

  A certified colour used to tint the product itself, not the hair.

  Leading ingredient

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

  May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

  A violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.

  DependsFine or easily flattened hair

  A deposited colorant is a surface layer. It is a very small amount of material, but on a routine already fighting for root lift it is one more thing sitting on the strand.

  • colourant
  • direct dye
  • blue dye
• 2 Citric Acid Monohydrate
  General function

  Citric acid in its crystalline form. It sets the formula's slightly acidic pH and binds a little hard-water mineral.

  Leading ingredient

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

  PubChem
  • pH adjuster
  • hard-water chelator
• 3 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.

  Leading ingredient

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

  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
• 4 Dimethicone
  General function

  The most common conditioning silicone. It coats the strand for shine, slip, and frizz control, and needs a detergent (not just water) to wash out.

  Supporting ingredient

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

  May suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

  A surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.

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

  Lays a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.

  May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines

  Dimethicone does not disperse in water. On a routine that skips detergent it stays on the hair and accumulates wash after wash.

  • silicone
  • emollient
  • conditioning agent
• ▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
• 5 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
• 6 Glyceryl Caprylate/Caprate
  General function

  A fatty ester. Esters give slip and a smooth after-feel; lighter ones read dry and silky, heavier ones read rich.

  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
• 7 Glycol Distearate
  General function

  A wax that gives shampoo its pearly look and a slightly richer 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 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
  • opacifier
  • emollient
• 8 Hydroxyacetophenone
  General function

  A preservative booster that also protects the formula from oxidising.

  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
  • preservative
  • antioxidant
• 9 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
• 10 Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
  General function

  A cross-linked thickener that gives gels a smooth, bouncy texture and light hold.

  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 suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair

  A set polymer film is a physical barrier to humidity, so a style keeps its shape longer in damp conditions.

  May suitMaximum-hold styling

  Synthetic film formers dry into a continuous film, which is what holds a shape against movement and against humid air.

  DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines

  Some acrylate copolymers rinse with water and some need a detergent; the label alone does not say which one a formula used.

  • thickener
  • polymer
  • film former
• 11 Red 33
  General function

  A certified colour used to tint the product. It does not colour 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 suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

  A violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.

  • colourant
• 12 Sodium Citrate
  General function

  Used with citric acid to hold the formula at a steady, slightly acidic pH. 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 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.

  DependsFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

  pH adjusters are how a formula is brought to a chosen acidity, and an acidic formula keeps the cuticle lying flatter than an alkaline one. Which way this one moves the pH depends on the formula, and the finished pH is not on the label.

  PubChem
  • pH adjuster
  • hard-water chelator
• 13 Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
  General function

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

  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

  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
• 14 Water
  • solvent

What the whole list adds up to

• 3 emollients
• 2 colourants
• 2 pH adjusters
• 2 hard-water chelators
• 2 cleansers
• 2 fragrances
• 1 direct dye
• 1 blue dye
• 1 amphoteric cleanser
• 1 secondary cleanser
• 1 silicone
• 1 conditioning agent
• 1 declared fragrance
• 1 light ester

Drug facts actives

• selenium sulfide 1%

This product is an over-the-counter drug as well as a cosmetic. It treats a cosmetic scalp condition; it does not diagnose or treat disease.

Ingredient list captured 2026-08-21. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.