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We try so hard to eat healthily, but what about the products you are using on your body like shampoo? A combination of ingredients including formaldehyde-releasing preservatives like DMDM hydantoin can give you a bad day. So which cruelty-free products should you select and avoid if you are looking to avoid formaldehyde-releasing preservatives? You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like best & worst air purifiers, best & worst organic mattresses, best & worst lotions, & best & worst hair colors, now join us as we bring you all the shampoo brands & hair conditioners that do not have DMDM Hydantoin and other formaldehyde releasers.

Disclosure: This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Stand, RN, BSN, PHN. This post contains affiliate links.

Woman washing her hair

DMDM Hydantoin & Other Formaldehyde Releasing Preservatives in Shampoo & Conditioners

When you enter the personal care aisle, there are lots of chemicals used that are known for releasing formaldehyde. Over time, small amounts of formaldehyde exposure combined with other pollutants in your home can pollute indoor air and lead to health impacts like cancer. One of those chemicals notorious for releasing formaldehyde is called DMDM hydantoin. When searching for products, you want shampoos without DMDM hydantoin. 

DMDM hydantoin is an antimicrobial formaldehyde releaser preservative. Shampoos with DMDM hydantoin release low levels of formaldehyde over time. Formaldehyde is linked to cancers and irritation of the skin, so it’s not really something you want in your personal care products. But of all the formaldehyde releaser preservatives, DMDM hydantoin was found to be a lower emitter of formaldehyde than the others.

There is some disagreement on whether using ingredients like formaldehyde-releasing preservatives should even be allowed based on the industry’s ability to regulate itself. In countries like Japan and Sweden, regulations are more strict in terms of personal care products, and these chemicals are restricted.

In 2015 a study found that longer storage time and higher temperature can increase the amount of formaldehyde released inside a product. This can pose a bigger problem for products that are left on the shelves over time like from discount stores.

People sensitive to formaldehyde releasers can react to something as low as 30 parts per million of a solution. However, according to the National Cancer Institute

When formaldehyde is present in the air at levels exceeding 0.1 ppm, some individuals may experience adverse effects such as watery eyes; burning sensations in the eyes, nose, and throat; coughing; wheezing; nausea; and skin irritation. Some people are very sensitive to formaldehyde, whereas others have no reaction to the same level of exposure.

The most vulnerable populations are infants, sensitive individuals, hair salon workers & nail salon workers when it comes to being around formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.

beauty and people concept - happy young woman with hairdresser washing head at hair salon

Where Will You Find DMDM Hydantoin In Other Personal Care Products

According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), approximately 20% of cosmetics and personal care products sold in the United States contain a formaldehyde-releaser. In addition, the frequency of contact allergies to these ingredients is much higher among Americans compared to studies in Europe. So for some reason, Americans fare worse.

DMDM hydantoin is found in the following personal care products:

When it comes to identifying ingredients, looking for shampoos without DMDM hydantoin is not always easy. Brands sometimes try to hide DMDM Hydantoin as other ingredients and you can find it as the following instead on a label:

  • 1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-5,5-DIMETHYL- 2,4-IMIDAZOLIDINEDIONE, 1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-5,5-DIMETHYLIMIDAZOLIDINE-2,4-DIONE,
  • 1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-5,5-DIMETHYLIMIDAZOLIDINE-2,4-DIONE(+),
  • 1,3-DIHYDROXYMETHYL-5,5 DIMETHYLHYDANTOIN,
  • 1,3-DIMETHYLOL-5,5-DIMETHYL HYDANTOIN,
  • 2,4-IMIDAZOLIDINEDIONE,
  • 1,3-BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)-5,5-DIMETHYL-,
  • 2,4IMIDAZOLIDINEDIONE,
  • 1,3BIS(HYDROXYMETHYL)5,5DIMETHYL,
  • DMDM HYDANTOIN, and
  • DMDM HYDANTOIN (FORMALDEHYDE RELEASER)

Woman washing her hair on yellow background

Other Problematic Chemicals in Shampoo

Look out for these ingredients in your beauty products and especially your cruelty free shampoo.

Fragrance: This is definitely something to look out for. The term “fragrance” can act as a backdoor for all kinds of chemicals to sneak into your products. It’s often applied as an over-arching term for up to 100 ingredients, many of which are toxic to human health. To name a couple of these toxic offenders, phthalates are linked to reproductive and developmental damage, and synthetic fragrances are known to build up in our bodies and linked to hormone disruption.

Surfactants: This is what makes your shampoo lather up with suds. We usually associate soap suds with cleaner hair, but that’s not necessarily the case. Sudsing doesn’t really occur much in nature, so it’s often the result of a chemical reaction or agent. While these chemicals aren’t toxic to humans, they can cause serious irritation and can be really harmful to aquatic life. Given the quantity of shampoo going down the drain every time we wash our hair, we’d prefer to avoid irritation and create a safer environment by choosing better products.

Preservatives: Ever noticed the expiration date on your shampoo? Nope, neither have we. That’s because shampoos are full of preservatives to keep them shelf-stable. They’ll last for a really long time without separating out or going “off”. These preservatives prevent the growth of yeast, mold, bacteria, etc., but because they’re literally designed to kill things, preservatives are tricky and can have a range of toxicity problems for both humans and the environment.

photo of woman sitting in a white bubbly bathtub

Other Problematic Chemicals in Conditioners

Like shampoo, conditioner suffers from many of the same problems when it comes to surfactants, preservatives, and fragrance, but it has one more problematic ingredient category, emulsifiers.

Emulsifiers: Emulsifiers combine oil and water to stop them from separating in your conditioner. They also soften your hair giving you that soft, flowy feeling. But though these emulsifiers, such as siloxanes, are effective, they don’t break down in the environment. This is definitely bad news for aquatic life!

Ingredients to Avoid*:

You want to avoid all these products in terms of haircare products:

*These ingredients are listed on the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics Red List, which is part of the MADE SAFE screening process for personal care products.

katie wells wellnesse shampoo & conditioner

Mamavation’s SPOTLIGHT: Wellnesse is the Small Shampoo Brand to Try!

Wellnesse is a new brand created by Katie Wells of Wellnessmama.com featured in the image above. Katie has spent years on her cruelty free shampoo & conditioner formulations perfecting them over the years. Last year, she took her formulations to market with Wellnesse. If you want to direct some of your resources to a small business instead of Amazon, give this brand a try!

Her new line includes shampoo, conditioner, and dry shampoo formulations that have taken her over a decade to perfect.

Each product is human-safe, planet safe, and works better than conventional alternatives. They are free of all the contaminants we’ve discussed in this post. We’ve also tested out these products personally and they have become some of our favorites! So please try them and support a small business directly.

 

Made Safe diagram of toxic shampoo chemicals including fragrance, sodium laureth sulfate, DMDM Hydantoin, and Parabens

Mamavation’s Investigation of Shampoo & Conditioner Brands

This post is an update to our 2018 investigation and has included additional brands from 2022. We plan on updating this investigation annually now so if we have missed a brand, please let us know in the comment section. This year we evaluated over 200+ brands, adding over 100 new brands to the list. So what shampoos have DMDM hydantoin? We will answer this question below in our investigation. 

Here are some additional investigations you may find yourself looking for soon:

African American woman using a laptop in her living room

Not Our Favorite: Shampoo & Conditioner Brands

These are all products that contain problematic shampoo chemicals and ingredients that are to be avoided as much as possible, like human carcinogens and endocrine disrupters in “fragrance” and at least two other ingredients hazardous to your health like sulfates. Some brands on this list are DMDM hydantoin shampoo. So things you may find formulas in this list include DMDM hydantoin, PEGs, parabens, undisclosed fragrance, nitrosamines, surfactants, harsh preservatives, cancer-causing ingredients, & ingredients that may be contaminated with 1,4-dioxane, etc. and other ingredients known to cause hair loss. We also looked specifically for fragrance-free brands that were marked with a (*) and natural, curly, or coiled friendly brands marked with (**) to help you find them. However, note the hair feel of these products is something most people are accustomed to.

  • American Crew
  • Amika
  • Andre Walker
  • Arbonne
  • Aussie
  • Aveeno
  • Axe
  • Bed Head
  • Better Natured
  • Brazilian Keratin
  • Carol’s Daughter
  • Cetaphil
  • Clairol Shampoo Shimmer Lights
  • Clean Freak Dry Shampoo
  • Clear
  • Creme of Nature Moisturizing Dry Defense Shampoo**
  • Davines
  • Design Essentials Honey Creme Moisture Retention Super Detangling Conditioning Shampoo**
  • doTerra
  • Dove men+care
  • EDEN BodyWorks Peppermint Tea Tree Shampoo**
  • Equate (head & shoulders copycat)
  • Equate Beauty Soothing Keratin Shampoo
  • Essence Ultime – now Schwarzkopf Essence Ultime Omega Repair & Moisture Shampoo
  • Eucerin
  • Fekkai
  • Free & Clear Hair Shampoo | Fragrance, Gluten and Sulfate-Free*
  • Garnier Fructis
  • Garnier Whole Blends
  • Girl+Hair Clarifying Apple Cider Vinegar Rinse**
  • Head & Shoulders
  • Herbal Essences
  • Infusion 23
  • It’s A 10
  • Jhirmack distinctions
  • John Frieda
  • Johnson’s Baby Naturals
  • Johnson’s Original Baby Wash
  • Kérastase
  • L’Oréal Elvive Original
  • L’Oréal Everpure
  • Up & Up (Copycat of Johnson’s & Johnson’s) Baby Wash
  • Keratin Protein
  • Loreal Everpure
  • Loreal Original
  • Mane ‘N Tail
  • Meduluca Sei Bella Rice
  • Milelle Organics
  • Mixed Chicks Shampoo**
  • Modessa
  • Moroccan Oil
  • Mustela Bebe
  • Nexxus
  • Neuma
  • No Nothing Very Sensitive Dry Shampoo
  • No Nothing Very Sensitive Moisture Shampoo
  • Nonscents Shampoo and Conditioner Set-Truly Unscented & Fragrance-Free*
  • Not Your Mother’s: Clean Freak Dry Shampoo
  • OGX Extra Strength Damage Remedy + Coconut Miracle Oil Shampoo**
  • Olaplex
  • Old Spice
  • Organic Root Stimulator Hair Mayonaise**
  • Oribe
  • ORS Hair Mayonnaise Conditioning Treatment**
  • Pantene Pro-V
  • Paul Mitchel
  • Pert
  • Pharmaceutical Specialties Free and Clear Shampoo*
  • Prell
  • Prose (poor ingredient disclosure)
  • PSSSST Dry Shampoo
  • Pure Brazillian
  • Purology
  • R+Co
  • Rausch Chamoille Amaranth
  • Redken
  • Ricitos de Oro
  • Rizos Curls Hydrating Shampoo**
  • Rusk
  • Sarah Jane
  • Seaweed Unscented Hydrating Moisturizing Shampoo*
  • Selsun
  • Soapbox
  • Stonybrook Botanicals Fragrance-Free Unscented Shampoo*
  • Suave Essentials
  • Suave Professionals
  • Suave Professionals for Natural Hair Moisturizing Curl Shampoo**
  • Surface
  • tgin Moisture Rich Sulfate Free Shampoo**
  • Tresemmé
  • Up & Up (Copycat of Johnson’s & Johnson’s) Baby Wash
  • VO5
  • Wella
  • Wen
  • White Rain Kids 3 in 1
  • WOW Skin Science – Apple Cider Vinegar Shampoo

photo of woman with a bath towel wrapped around her hair

Better Shampoo & Conditioner Brands

These cosmetic products contain some problematic shampoo chemicals, but they are light years better than the bad category. Here you may find polysorbates, propylene glycol, undisclosed fragrances,  and/or plant-based surfactants. However, the hair feel is more efficient with these products meaning they are in the middle of the road with safety & product efficiency. This list also includes shampoos without DMDM hydantoin. We also looked specifically for fragrance-free brands that were marked with a (*) and natural, curly, or coiled friendly brands marked with (**) to help you find them.

photo of woman reading ingredient label on shampoo bottle

Shampoos & Conditioners that are Best for Your Health

These are our recommendations. These cruelty-free shampoos without DMDM hydantoin & sulfate also do not contain added phthalates or parabens. They may contain preservatives, but not ones I’m concerned about. If you are looking for shampoo free of chemicals, you should feel comfortable using just about any of the products on this list. Most rely on natural ingredients like essential oils, coconut oil, argan oil, tea tree oil, shea butter, aloe vera, to provide cleansing and moisture to various hair types. In addition to being free of harsh chemicals, most of these brands are also cruelty-free and/or eco-friendly and most are made from organic ingredients. We also looked specifically for fragrance-free brands that were marked with a (*) and natural, curly, or coiled friendly brands marked with (**) to help you find them. As promised, here is plenty of shampoo and conditioner without DMDM hydantoin. 

We hope this list will help you make informed decisions about chemical-free shampoos you can feel safe switching to. For more information on how to avoid hormone-disrupting chemicals in your personal care products, pick up a copy of Green Enough: Eat Better, Live Cleaner, Be Happier (All Without Driving Your Family Crazy!).

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About the Author

Safest Non-Toxic Disinfectant Cleaners Recommended by Both EPA & Mamavation 1

Leah Segedie is a consumer watchdog, author, entrepreneur, environmental activist, and mother of three boys. 

She wrote Green Enough: Eat Better, Live Cleaner, & Be Happier (All Without Driving Your Family Crazy!) in 2018. She’s consistently been featured in the media for the past 15 years in media outlets like ABC, CBS, CNN, Yahoo, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, Reader’s Digest, Ladies Home Journal, Shape Magazine, Fitness Magazine to name a few.  

Follow Mamavation on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter or join the Mamavation Community Group. 

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Shampoos Without DMDM Hydantoin & Other Formaldehyde Releasing Preservatives 2021 2

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Comments

  1. Anonymous

    I would update the Herbal Essences bio renew with the specific type that is linked. I didn’t realize the other varieties had sulfates and fragrance in them and ended up buying the white grapefruit and mint only to see those ingredients early on the list.

    Reply

  2. jackie

    Where on earth can you find these brands? I’ve never heard of most of them ( or not any ) i’m 77 years old, have little gray hair and my hair dresser is amazed that my hair is so thick and beautiful. Of course she’s my niece but i’ve been told the same thing by the many hair stylist i’ve gone to in the years of moving around so much. These days I trust using tressamae (spelt wrong) I have allergies to most shampoos including some tressamaes but i look for the products/and ingredients she gave me. That the best route to go. Get an allergy test by a trusted dr.

    Reply

  4. Michelle Reddigan

    I ended up in the hospital on two seperate occasions after using a Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo from a salon and a Garnier Fructis shampoo. I suffered from nausea, lumps on my neck and scalp, swollen hands and severe dizziness.

    Reply

  5. J.E.

    I think it would be best to have links to the scientific evidence so that you can cite your claims. It would also be good to know the authors credentials.

    Reply

  6. Chelsea

    Thanks for the lists! Got my kids on the “Best” list. Now I have to research mine because I don’t see it listed. Kirkland and Raw Sugar. Going to look through the ingredients of both shampoos now! Also, pinned this post for later! Thanks!

    Reply

  7. Maria

    Hey, I just checked the ingredients on Herbal Essences Bio Renew and they publicly disclose that they use DMDM Hydantoin for preservation. I want to note this because you included it on your list of products that are best to our health.

    Reply

  8. Samantha T

    Your list in the bad category.. when you say a whole brand do you mean like all there shampoo and conditioners, or other products because I use skincare from those brands. Also thank you for this list!!

    Reply

  10. Dawne Marshall

    Hi. Can you tell me about phenoxyethanol? It’s in some of the best products you mention. I read up on it. Year or two ago and threw out all my Burts bees and 3 in 1 products. Correct me if I’m wrong but as I remember it that chemical replaced the laurel sulfates but chemically does the same thing and is known as a skin irritant.

    Reply

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