Super Gro Hair & Scalp Conditioner (2019 formulation)

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

• comedogenic in testingISOPROPYL MYRISTATE

  • ISOPROPYL MYRISTATE: A light emollient, and the ester the rabbit-ear literature names first. Fulton JE Jr, Pay SR, Fulton JE 3rd, "Comedogenicity of current therapeutic products, cosmetics, and ingredients in the rabbit ear", J Am Acad Dermatol 1984;10(1):96-105, PMID 6229554. The openly readable abstract names this ingredient among its "ingredient offenders", in prose and without a numeric rating: "Ingredient offenders include isopropyl myristate and its analogs, such as isopropyl palmitate, isopropyl isostearate, butyl stearate, isostearyl neopentanoate, myristyl myristate..." The rabbit-ear assay rates raw ingredients and does not predict how a finished formula behaves on human skin.

• common irritantPROPYLENE GLYCOL

  • 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 blendPARFUM

  • PARFUM: 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.

• rich occlusivePETROLATUM, THEOBROMA CACAO SEED BUTTER

  • PETROLATUM: A barrier that sits on the surface of the skin, which is also why it feels heavy. FDA OTC skin protectant monograph, 21 CFR 347.10(m) and (r), lists petrolatum and white petrolatum as skin protectants at 30 to 100%.
  • THEOBROMA CACAO SEED BUTTER: A rich butter the FDA recognises by name as a skin protectant. FDA OTC skin protectant monograph, 21 CFR 347.10(d): "Cocoa butter, 50 to 100 percent."

• humectantPANTHENOL

  • 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."

• barrier lipidLINOLEIC ACID

  • LINOLEIC ACID: An essential fatty acid the skin barrier uses and cannot make for itself. Khnykin D, Miner JH, Jahnsen F, "Role of fatty acid transporters in epidermis", Dermatoendocrinol 2011;3(2):53-61, DOI 10.4161/derm.3.2.14816, open access: "The human body can produce all but two of the fatty acids it needs: linoleic acid (C18:2, n6) and alpha-linolenic acid (C18:3, n3)", and replacing linoleic acid with a non-essential fatty acid "will lead to barrier defects". Feingold and Elias, J Lipid Res 2024: linoleate "is required for the synthesis of a subgroup of acylceramides".

• soothingPANTHENOL

  • 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."