Review BIOKAP Shampooing Douche 200 ml

What it is used for:

Ingredients:

Let us examine the most significant ingredients in order of quantity as indicated on the label. I provide a brief summary for reasons of space. For the full text, studies and bibliography, just click on the ingredient and, if you want to go deeper, it is perhaps a little complex reading because these are scientific studies, but it clarifies the ingredient/health relationship.

Ammonium lauryl sulphate is a chemical intermediate, an anionic surfactant, with good wetting and dispersing power. It is resistant to hard water and has antistatic, foaming and thickening properties and can also effectively resist rust. It is generally mixed with anionic surfactants to improve the durability and stability of the foam as well as washing. Good biodegradability. It is a simple SLS analogue with ammonium ion instead of sodium ion and for this reason is at least two and a half times less toxic than SLS, yet here it is used as the primary surfactant in second place on the label. A safety report published in 2010 by the International Journal of Toxicology on different alkyl salts including ammonium lauryl sulphate concluded that the chemical compounds examined were safe in the use practices and concentration described in the safety assessment. A subsequent 2019 study by researchers at Yongin University, Korea, building on another epidemiological study that suggested chronic exposure to cleaning detergents significantly reduced lung function, analysed and identified the toxic mechanism of ammonium lauryl sulphate. The conclusion was that chronic lung exposure to ammonium lauryl sulphate can cause adverse health effects such as cancer and fibrosis by compromising the host lung immune system. Chronic pulmonary exposure is certainly an extreme but recurring situation in those who work with ammonium lauryl sulphate and, I do not believe, inherent to the normal consumer who uses detergents on a non-continuous basis. However, caution is never too much when it comes to health.

Cocamidopropyl betaine is the second surfactant and is placed in the third position on the label, thus in significant quantities compared to the other ingredients that follow. It is of synthetic origin and is used in cosmetics and body cleansers with an antimicrobial and foaming function. It softens hair and reduces static electricity in conditioners. Thickener in personal care products and detergents. Improves conditioning functions of other surfactants, performs well against water hardness, is antistatic and biodegradable. Good compatibility with other amphoteric surfactants and cationic, anionic, non-ionic surfactants. However, it is considered a possible allergen in the scientific literature.

Dehydroacetic acid is used in cosmetic products such as creams and liquid soaps to prevent the growth of bacteria and moulds and acts as a photosensitiser. It is not banned in cosmetic products, but in food products it cannot be used in EU countries as a food additive because it has unknown effects on human health. I personally decided to avoid it.

The other ingredients offer no cause for concern.

Conclusions

Since, as I wrote earlier, caution is never too much in health, I will not buy this product again.