Suave Essentials: 7 Reasons to Dump Their Toxic Shampoos
Written by Ajay Chohan, Founder
Suave Essentials Ocean Breeze Shampoo – Unilever
Why Suave Shampoo’s Advertising is Misleading: Suave shampoos are actually ‘infused’ with harsh chemicals and neurotoxins tied to allergic reactions, hair loss + long term health effects. And the shampoos contain only a negligible amount of naturals extracts
Harmful Ingredients in Suave Essentials Shampoos to Avoid: Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Synthetic Fragrance, Tetrasodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Blue 1, Yellow 5, DMDM Hydantoin
Let’s start things off with this blue ‘beauty’ and the 7 reasons your hair will thank you for dumping your Suave shampoo. While the focus of this piece is on Suave Essentials Ocean Breeze shampoo, the research applies broadly to all Suave shampoos & conditioners since they share a similar toxic ingredient profile. At the end of the article I also give my thoughts on what makes an actual wholesomely natural shampoo.
REASON # 1: Sulfate that strips hair of its essential oils making it brittle is the first key ingredient in this Suave shampoo.
After water, the first key ingredient (and thus forming the highest percentage of this concoction after water) is Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES). SLES is added to shampoos to give it the foam and bubbles, and is a known skin & eye irritant (1). SLES is a harsh detergent that can also strip the hair and scalp of their protective oils.
SLES may also be “contaminated with measurable amounts of ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane,” which the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies as human carcinogens (1). The California Environment Protection Agency also says ethylene oxide is a toxicant which may interfere with human development (1). Yikes. The fact that this is the first ingredient after water only makes things worse.
Reason #2: Misleading marketing hides potentially toxic fragrance in Suave Shampoos often tied to allergic reactions.
Sauve’s marketing team writes, “enjoy the refreshing scent of clean ocean air” on the copy. Ok, I am not going to blame the copywriters here. They are the creative types simply doing their job and I have a soft spot for my creative types. But Sauve should know better. This ‘clean ocean air scent’ comes from synthetic fragrance, which could denote any number of over 2,000 chemicals used in making synthetic fragrances, with unknown safety records. Cosmetic companies are not required to disclose exactly which chemical(s) their fragrance is comprised of, leaving the fun to us. Fragrances are often responsible for the allergic reactions consumers have to cosmetics (2).
Reason #3: The neurotoxins and cytotoxins in Suave shampoos:
Next up is Tetrasodium EDTA, a sodium salt which the National Library of Medicine says is 'cytotoxic' (3). Cytotoxic meaning it can damage or kill our body’s cells. While Tetrasodium EDTA itself luckily does not pass through the skin, it does make the absorption of other chemicals (like the toxic ones in Suave shampoos) easier, which does pose a risk (3). Then come the toxic preservatives Methylchloroisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone, which are meant to inhibit the growth of bacteria, but also have been tied to lung toxicity and neurotoxicity (4)! I know I am using the word ‘toxic’ a lot here…but that’s the best description of these ingredients.
Please Note: Here is my article on 100% natural and wholesome shampoos from small companies with integrity.
Reason #4: The ocean color of this Suave shampoo comes from synthetic petroleum based colors linked to skin irritation and cancer.
Suave shampoos are also full of artificial synthetic colors. Blue 1, which gives this shampoo its ‘ocean color,’ is made from coal tar, and has been linked with skin irritation and cancer (5). The toxic Blue 1 color can also be found in shampoos like Selsun Blue, which you can read about here. Yellow 5 is also made from coal tar, a petroleum product (5). In 1985, the American Academy of Pediatrics linked Yellow 5 with "allergies, thyroid tumors, lymphomas (cancer), chromosomal damage, asthma, and urticaria / hives (6).”
Reason 5: The formaldehyde-releasing carcinogen DMDM Hydantoin in Suave Shampoos
Suave shampoos also have the concerning formaldehyde-releasing ingredient DMDM Hydantoin. In June 2021, a proposed class action lawsuit was brought forward against the company’s “Suave Professionals shampoos and conditioners” product line. The suit focuses on DMDM hydantoin; an ingredient repeatedly tied with scalp irritation, hair loss and being a cancer causing carcinogen.
Concerns around DMDM hydantoin are well known:
As this SafeCosmetics.org research page explains, DMDM hydantoin is a “formaldehyde-releasing preservative…which helps prevent microbes from growing in water-based products, can be absorbed through the skin and have been linked to cancer and allergic skin reactions.” The article further states that “Formaldehyde is considered a known human carcinogen by many expert and government bodies, including the United States National Toxicology Program and the International Agency for Research on Cancer.”
Furthermore, as the case text on Classaction.org states, “DMDM hydantoin contained enough free formaldehyde to cause dermatitis, or skin irritation.” Dermatitis has been linked with brittleness and hair loss. Sadly, the formaldehyde-releasing preservative DMDM hydantoin can be found in many shampoos, including Selsun Blue. Suave’s product page claims “the formula smooths the overall texture of the hair, transforming dry, frizzy strands into a healthy-looking, salon-straight hairstyle.” Well, the toxic ingredients list begs to differ. No thanks, I will take a bad hair day over a no hair day, any day.
Reason #6: “Infused with sea algae extract”
Algae is the third to last ingredient - only coming before the two synthetic colors - implying it is added in a minuscule amount in this Suave shampoo purely for marketing purposes. All the other toxic chemicals actually compose the majority of this concoction — so the marketing claims are misleading.
Reason #7: Suave & Unilever have faced a long history of lawsuits and recalls over their shampoos containing harsh ingredients linked with scalp irritation, dermatitis and hair loss.
Back in 2012, Sauve had introduced its Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion 30 Day Smoothing Kit. The company was soon faced with a flood of complaints with consumers alleging hair loss after using the product. Lawsuits followed shortly thereafter. Sauve’s parent company Unilever had to create a $10 Million settlement fund to resolve the suits. The damage had been done though.
As this FindLaw article here states whilst quoting the court, “Unfortunately, for some consumers, the Smoothing Kit was a disaster. Its active ingredient, thioglycolic acid, is extremely corrosive, and if left on long enough, can dissolve the hair and burn the scalp.” Yep, you read that right, the active ingredient in the “smoothing kit” can dissolve hair and burn your scalp! After settling the case, Unilever discontinued and took this disastrous product off the shelves.
Please Note: Here is my complete guide to all the 16 harmful chemicals commonly found across shampoos + a list of the worst shampoo brands to avoid.
Suave is bad for your hair and overall health:
Suave Ocean Breeze is actually a breeze of carcinogens & allergens, and one of the worst shampoos to subject your hair with. It’s no wonder Suave has been subjected to class action lawsuits and constant consumer complaints around hair loss, skin burns and other unwanted reactions. Check out some of the consumer complaints here. This is simply unacceptable. We encourage consumers to ditch this potentially toxic shampoo and save their hair.
What makes a better shampoo?
Actually natural shampoos are safe yet effective. Such shampoos gently cleanse + nourish with ingredients that are whole + alive. Meaning — the ingredients come from whole botanical and flower extracts from living & breathing plants — not dead chemical compounds from a lab. The quality and aliveness of the ingredients is thus the biggest factor that makes a truly better natural shampoo. You can read my article here where I further cover the attributes of such shampoos and give recommendations.
Have you used a Suave shampoo? Do share your experiences below.
Sources - Research for Yourself!
1. https://davidsuzuki.org/queen-of-green/dirty-dozen-sodium-laureth-sulfate/
3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12396676/
4. https://www.forceofnatureclean.com/chemical-free-living-methylisothiazolinone/
5. https://lesstoxicguide.ca/index.asp?fetch=personal
6. https://theorganicdiabetic.org/2014/12/the-dangers-of-yellow-5-dye/