VO5 Moisture Milks Moisturizing Conditioner Strawberries & Cream

These describe what an ingredient is, not whether it is a problem. The stance marks above are the ratings; these are not.

• commonly dryingAlcohol

  • Alcohol: A fast-evaporating solvent that leaves a dry finish. International Chemical Safety Card ICSC 0044, Ethanol (anhydrous), prepared by an international group of experts for the ILO and WHO: "The substance defats the skin, which may cause dryness or cracking." Bommannan et al., as reported by Lachenmeier DW, "Safety evaluation of topical applications of ethanol on the skin and inside the oral cavity", J Occup Med Toxicol 2008;3:26, DOI 10.1186/1745-6673-3-26, open access, reference 82: "Bommannan et al. found in vivo in humans that ethanol enters the skin and removes measurable quantities of the lipid barrier material from the stratum corneum." Both describe stronger exposures than a cosmetic formula.

• common irritantMethylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Propylene Glycol

  • Methylchloroisothiazolinone: A preservative restricted to rinse-off products in the EU because of contact-allergy reports. EU Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, Annex V entry 39 (rinse-off only, 0,0015% of a 3:1 mixture with methylisothiazolinone). The reason is in Commission Regulation (EU) No 1003/2014, recital 3, quoted rather than summarised: "The SCCS concluded that the mixture of Methylchloroisothiazolinone (and) Methylisothiazolinone in a ratio of 3:1 does not pose a risk to the health of the consumer when used as a preservative up to a maximum authorised concentration of 0,0015 % in rinse-off cosmetic products, apart from its skin sensitising potential. The SCCS indicated that induction and elicitation would be less likely in a rinse-off product than when the same concentration is present in a leave-on product." SCCS/1238/09 concludes it "is well recognised as an important skin sensitiser at current conditions of use".
  • Methylisothiazolinone: A preservative that patch-test clinics see reactions to often enough that the EU banned it from leave-on products. American Contact Dermatitis Society, Allergen of the Year 2013 (Castanedo-Tardana MP, Zug KA, Dermatitis 2013;24(1):2-6); SCCS Opinion on Methylisothiazolinone (P94), Submission II, SENSITISATION ONLY (SCCS/1521/13, revision of 27 March 2014); banned in leave-on cosmetics by Commission Regulation (EU) 2016/1198, which recites the need to address "the increased incidence of allergies induced by methylisothiazolinone".
  • Propylene Glycol: A solvent that shows up in patch-test clinics, more often as irritation than as allergy. American Contact Dermatitis Society, Allergen of the Year 2018 (Jacob SE, Scheman A, McGowan MA, Dermatitis 2018;29(1):3-5).

• undeclared fragrance blendFragrance

  • Fragrance: A blend the label does not itemize, so what is in it cannot be read from the ingredient list. EU Regulation (EC) 1223/2009 permits the collective term "parfum"; the SCCS Opinion on Fragrance Allergens (SCCS/1459/11) reviews the contact-allergy evidence for the substances it can contain.

• humectantGlycerin, Panthenol

  • Glycerin: A humectant, and one of the two ingredients a comparison of moisturiser components found made a significant difference to skin hydration. FDA OTC skin protectant monograph, 21 CFR 347.10(h), lists glycerin as a skin protectant at 20 to 45%. On the humectant half: Jeong CB, Han JY, Cho JC, Suh KD, Nam GW, "Analysis of electrical property changes of skin by oil-in-water emulsion components", Int J Cosmet Sci 2013;35(4):402-410, DOI 10.1111/ics.12059, PMID 23621673, found that "glycerine and urea showed significant skin hydration effects compared with other humectants".
  • Panthenol: A provitamin B5 humectant used in products aimed at irritated and healing skin. On the humectant half: Ferreira VTP, Silva GC, Martin AA, Maia Campos PMBG, "Topical dexpanthenol effects on physiological parameters of the stratum corneum by Confocal Raman Microspectroscopy", Skin Res Technol 2023;29(9):e13317, DOI 10.1111/srt.13317, PMID 37753694, PMCID PMC10504581, open access, Introduction: "As a humectant, it has been shown to retain water more efficiently than other humectants during the last stages of dehydration..." On the soothing half, which that paper does NOT support: Cho YS, Kim HO, Woo SM, Lee DH, "Use of Dexpanthenol for Atopic Dermatitis—Benefits and Recommendations Based on Current Evidence", J Clin Med 2022;11(14):3943, DOI 10.3390/jcm11143943, PMID 35887707, open access, section 3.5: "To facilitate wound healing, dexpanthenol reduces inflammation, and promotes cell proliferation and epithelial remodeling."

• soothingPanthenol, Niacinamide

  • Panthenol: A provitamin B5 humectant used in products aimed at irritated and healing skin. On the humectant half: Ferreira VTP, Silva GC, Martin AA, Maia Campos PMBG, "Topical dexpanthenol effects on physiological parameters of the stratum corneum by Confocal Raman Microspectroscopy", Skin Res Technol 2023;29(9):e13317, DOI 10.1111/srt.13317, PMID 37753694, PMCID PMC10504581, open access, Introduction: "As a humectant, it has been shown to retain water more efficiently than other humectants during the last stages of dehydration..." On the soothing half, which that paper does NOT support: Cho YS, Kim HO, Woo SM, Lee DH, "Use of Dexpanthenol for Atopic Dermatitis—Benefits and Recommendations Based on Current Evidence", J Clin Med 2022;11(14):3943, DOI 10.3390/jcm11143943, PMID 35887707, open access, section 3.5: "To facilitate wound healing, dexpanthenol reduces inflammation, and promotes cell proliferation and epithelial remodeling."
  • Niacinamide: A vitamin B3 form that supports the skin barrier and has anti-inflammatory activity; it turns up in products aimed at acne, rosacea and eczema. Camillo L, Zavattaro E, Savoia P, "Nicotinamide: A Multifaceted Molecule in Skin Health and Beyond", Medicina (Kaunas) 2025;61(2):254, DOI 10.3390/medicina61020254, PMID 40005371, open access: it "is extensively used in ... the treatment of dermatological conditions such as blistering diseases, atopic dermatitis, rosacea, and acne vulgaris", and contributes to reducing inflammation. On the acne evidence specifically: Liu H, Yu H, Xia J, Liu L, Liu GJ, Sang H, Peinemann F, "Topical azelaic acid, salicylic acid, nicotinamide, sulphur, zinc and fruit acid (alpha-hydroxy acid) for acne", Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2020;5:CD011368, DOI 10.1002/14651858.CD011368.pub2, PMID 32356369, records "low-quality evidence" for every nicotinamide comparison it could pool, and none of its four nicotinamide studies measured the physician global assessment at all.