Shampoo Database

[Catatafish]

I was thinking that it might be handy to start a Google document or something similar that we can all edit, that lists shampoo and conditioner ingredients.

I know that I find it annoying to have to spend ages in the shop staring and the tiny writing on the back of the bottles. Also, it is often handier when researching what to try next to decide online first, since you have access to all of the internet! I've tried finding ingredients online, but not all companies seem to list them.

Between even a few of the members here adding what they currently have in their bathroom, I'm sure we would have a pretty large collection straight away.

It might also be handy to find dupes for more expensive or discontinued products.

Also, even though there are many threads that might list the individual ingredients of products, they can be difficult to find, and time consuming to compare.

Anybody interested?

[cathair]

I am interested, but at the same time I would worry how it could work. Shampoos get changed slightly an infuriating amount of times. Even if the differences are small. I don't use many kinds and I still have trouble updating my own lists. Not to mention the same brands have different formulations in different countries.

[Aderyn]

Maybe just having a list of ingredients used in shampoos would be a bit more beneficial, with a short description of the specific role of the ingredients. Don't think we have anything like that, at least none that I've seen.

[lapushka]

Don't we have a sulfate shampoo list vs a sulfate free shampoo list already? I mean I don't think you can go much further than that without listing *all* ingredients. It's going to be too hard to manage. Do you know how many shampoo bottles are out there? There has to be at least one or two common denominator(s).

[cathair]

I haven't seen that sulphate list and would love to if you can find it.

I don't think it would be impossible, it could be fantastically useful. But I think it really would need a properly designed database, rather than a spreadsheet otherwise it would be ridiculous to manage and it would almost certainly get very complicated.

[Catatafish]

Aderyn,

I found this while I was searching to see if I could steal a handy way to organise everything. Hopefully it is useful.

http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/products/hair-conditioners
http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/products/shampoos-and-rinses

[Catatafish]

cathair,

I agree with you, but I don't think I'm capable of making such a thing. I have a lot of friends who work with computers, so I think I'll ask around and see if any of them know of a handy solution that's readily available.

[Catatafish]

lapushka,

When I imagined it in my mind, it would indeed list ALL of the ingredients of a product. The reason is that some people like protein, but only small amount, or have sensitivities to certain ingredients for example.

If I find a proper way to organise it, I will enter in all of the products in my possession. Then, find a way to make it so that when somebody else wants to enter in a products ingredients list, it will come up with predictive text options for previously added ingredients.

Well, hopefully! I wouldn't mind trying it as a little project anyways.

[Hotrox]

I think it would be a great resource, and if you had time and resolve to manage it it would be a really helpful contribution to the community.

It is quite a big task and would need to be continually overseen by someone, a braver person than me is needed :-)

[Catatafish]

Thanks Hotrox.

I was just chatting to my friend who has a couple of ideas of how to manage it (he does this sort of thing as his job). He is interested in doing it as a project with me, so we'll see. No promises though, it might be far too much work.

I found this, and thought it might interest some of you. I'm not sure if it has been posted before though. It has some of the features that I'm looking for, but not all of them.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

If you search for a product and find it, there is a label information tab on the left hand side that gives you the ingredients.

[meteor]

I think it's a fantastic idea! :)
However, the complications I see are frequent reformulations of existing products, new products appearing/disappearing all the time, multiple formulations for the exact same product sold in different countries, multiple names for the same ingredients... It's really a big task and the output database would be so large that it might be hard to search.


Maybe just having a list of ingredients used in shampoos would be a bit more beneficial, with a short description of the specific role of the ingredients. Don't think we have anything like that, at least none that I've seen.

Yes, I think this will be a lot easier to manage. Even with names for ingredients being sometimes modified and manufacturers being sneaky with names, we can still pin them down, and it's a lot easier to do with ingredients than products. :) Thank goodness, ingredients lists of products can usually be found by googling them.

[meteor]

I found this, and thought it might interest some of you. I'm not sure if it has been posted before though. It has some of the features that I'm looking for, but not all of them.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

Yes, I really like this website for all ingredient searches I do (not just hair-related). I don't know how accurate it is, but it's really easy to search and use! :D

[cathair]

Thanks Hotrox.

I was just chatting to my friend who has a couple of ideas of how to manage it (he does this sort of thing as his job). He is interested in doing it as a project with me, so we'll see. No promises though, it might be far too much work.

I found this, and thought it might interest some of you. I'm not sure if it has been posted before though. It has some of the features that I'm looking for, but not all of them.

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/

If you search for a product and find it, there is a label information tab on the left hand side that gives you the ingredients.

I think they have been criticized by the Beauty Bottle people for the way they rate carcinogens. I have forgotten why though (really helpful I know!).