Shampoo Brands To Avoid: My Not A Fan List And Why

These 28 shampoos are on my Not A Fan list because every one of them contains at least one ingredient I avoid: fragrance, ethoxylated ingredient, DMDM hydantoin or diazolidinyl urea, methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, cocamide DEA, or petroleum-derived dyes.

Most of these ingredients do a real job. A product needs a preservative so it does not grow bacteria, and lather is part of how a shampoo feels. My objection is to these particular versions of those ingredients. Each one carries either a cancer concern or a documented risk of allergic skin reaction, and gentler ingredients can do the same work.

Below you’ll find the 28 shampoos sorted by ingredients, a short explanation of each flag, and a straight answer on the hair loss lawsuits.

The 28 Shampoo Brands To Avoid

I’ve sorted them into two groups. Group 1 holds the twelve shampoos that carry fragrance and ethoxylated ingredients. And Group 2 holds the sixteen that carry additional flagged ingredients (in brackets) next to fragrance and ethoxylated ingredients.

Group 1: Fragrance And Ethoxylated Ingredients

1. Aveda Damage Remedy Restructuring Shampoo
2. Aveeno Oat Milk Blend Daily Moisture
3. DevaCurl No-Poo and Low-Poo Original
4. Dove Daily Moisture Shampoo
5. Farmasi Dr. C Tuna Reviving Shampoo
6. Garnier Fructis Hair Filler + Vitamin Cg Strength Repair Shampoo
7. Herbal Essences Scalp + Purify Eucalyptus Shampoo (fragrance only)
8. Kristin Ess Extra Gentle Shampoo
9. Mane ’n Tail Micellar Shampoo
10. Mielle Rosemary Mint Strengthening Shampoo
11. Nexxus Therappe Moisture
12. Oribe Serene Scalp Densifying Shampoo

Group 2: Fragrance Or Ethoxylated Ingredients, Plus More

1. Aussie Miracle Curls Shampoo (methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, dyes)
2. Eden Body Works Peppermint Tea Tree Shampoo (methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone)
3. Finesse Moisturizing Shampoo (DMDM hydantoin, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone)
4. Fudge Clean Blonde Violet Toning Shampoo (cocamide DEA, diazolidinyl urea, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate)
5. Head & Shoulders Classic Clean Anti-Dandruff Shampoo (dyes)
6. It’s A 10 Miracle Shampoo Plus Keratin (methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, dyes)
7. Keratin Complex Color Care Smoothing Shampoo (DMDM hydantoin, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate)
8. Leonor Greyl Bain Traitant a la Propolis Gentle Dandruff Shampoo (methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone)
9. Maui Thicken & Restore + Bamboo Fiber Shampoo (diazolidinyl urea, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate)
10. Nature Lab Tokyo Kaizen Repairing Shampoo (dyes)
11. OGX Anti-Breakage Keratin Oil Shampoo (dyes)
12. Pantene Abundant & Strong Shampoo (methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, dyes)
13. Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo (methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, dyes)
14. Suave Keratin Infusion Smoothing Shampoo (DMDM hydantoin, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone)
15. TIGI Recovery™ Moisturizing Shampoo for Dry Hair (dyes)
16. TRESemmé Botanique Nourish Shampoo (methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone)

The Flagged Ingredients In Shampoos

The shampoos above are on my Not A Fan list due to the ingredients I reviewed and placed in the Not A Fan tier as well:

• Ethoxylated ingredients (PEG, polysorbate, or an “eth” ending such as laureth): may have residues of carcinogenic ethylene oxide and 1,4-dioxane.
• Fragrance (parfum, aroma): a mixture of ingredients, including allergens and endocrine disruptors.
• DMDM hydantoin and diazolidinyl urea: preservatives that slowly release formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen.
• Methylchloroisothiazolinone and methylisothiazolinone: allergens and sensitizers.
• Iodopropynyl butylcarbamate: allergenic even at low concentrations.
• Cocamide DEA: potential carcinogen. Note that cocamide MEA has no such concern.
• Dyes (Yellow 5, Blue 1, Red 33): petroleum products with potential petroleum contaminants, unnecessary in a shampoo in the first place.

Why Sulfates And Parabens Are Not On My Avoid List

Most “ingredients to avoid” lists start with these two, and mine does not. Here’s why.

Sulfates clean well and may be harsh on some scalps, but they are not a health risk in a rinse-off product. The one I do flag is sodium laureth sulfate, and only because it’s ethoxylated. Plain sodium lauryl sulfate is a different story, and a drying shampoo is a comfort problem rather than a safety one.

Parabens have a worse reputation than the research supports. I wrote a full post on whether parabens are safe because the popular claims about them are mostly not accurate. If you’ve been checking labels for sulfates and parabens, you’ve already built the habit that matters.

Do These Shampoos Cause Hair Loss?

I cannot tell you that a certain shampoo caused a person’s hair loss. Here’s what’s fair to say.

Shampoo does not need to reach the hair root to cause trouble. An ingredient that irritates your scalp can lead to inflammation, and inflammation can lead to breakage and shedding. Dermatologists who study hair loss point to fragrance as a common trigger. That’s one reason products with fragrance appear on the list above.

Allergic reactions also build slowly. You can use a product happily for years, then start reacting to it. So a new problem does not always mean a new product.

If your hair is thinning, please do not assume your shampoo is the answer. My post on the most overlooked hair loss causes covers the reasons people miss most often. And if your scalp itches, burns, or flakes, stop the product and see a dermatologist rather than working it out from an ingredient list.

Have Any Of These Shampoo Brands Been Sued Or Recalled?

This question comes up constantly. Here’s what the court records and FDA notices show as of October 2026.

A Real Recall Happened, And It Was Narrower Than People Think

In October 2022, Unilever recalled certain aerosol dry shampoos sold under Dove, Nexxus, Suave, TIGI, and TRESemmé after benzene was found in the propellant. That recall covered spray cans made before October 2021. It did not cover liquid shampoo, and the benzene came from the propellant rather than the formula. A proposed settlement of about $3.6 million has not been approved. A federal judge in Connecticut turned it down in February 2026 and asked for a narrower class.

The Hair Loss Cases Have Mostly Not Succeeded

Claims that DMDM hydantoin in TRESemmé caused hair loss were dismissed in 2022 for insufficient evidence. A second case was dismissed for good in March 2026, after the plaintiff’s own expert said in a deposition that he could not explain how the product caused the harm. More cases on this theory are expected. One case against OGX, brought in New York in 2021, is still open. The case against Mane ’n Tail was dropped by the people who filed it.

Being Investigated Is Not The Same As Being Sued

In 2021, a law firm website published a long list of shampoo brands it was looking into over DMDM hydantoin. Nexxus, Aussie, Finesse, Maui, It’s A 10, and Keratin Complex all appeared on it. That page was a request for complaints, not a lawsuit, and the firm closed the investigation in October 2022. If you find a brand on a “shampoo lawsuit list,” check whether a case was ever actually filed.

Three Brands People Search For Have No Such Lawsuit At All

There is no product safety case against Nature Lab Tokyo. The only federal case involving the brand is a trademark dispute filed against it in 2024. There is no case against Innersense. Innersense is the one suing, over counterfeit product. There is no hair loss case against Pureology. The only lawsuit I found concerned salon-only labeling and dates to 2013.

The 2026 Recall Worth Knowing About Was Bacterial

Oribe Serene Scalp Densifying Shampoo, number 12 on my Group 1 list, was recalled in 2026 after bacteria were found in certain lots. That is a separate matter from why it’s on my list. A recall is about one batch going wrong. My flags are about what the formula contains every time it’s made correctly.natural” differs from what a company means by this word. 

The Bottom Line: Read The Label, Then Judge The Brand

This list is not complete, and I didn’t mean it to be. A brand can also sell a product with a cleaner label than the one I read. My own rule is simpler than checking every bottle: when a company is willing to use these ingredients in one product, it undermines my trust in the brand altogether.

Formulas change, too. Always read the label on the bottle in your hand, since a brand can reformulate at any time.

You don’t need to throw away any shampoo tonight. If your scalp feels fine, finishing your product is a reasonable choice. When you’re ready to replace it, my Best Shampoo Without Harmful Chemicals guide covers the options I approve of, the ones I rate Best and Better, and the reasoning behind each.

Shampoo Brands To Avoid FAQ

Which Shampoo Brand Is The Most Toxic?

Six shampoos on the list tie for the longest list at five flagged ingredients each, which tells you something useful: these formulas are more alike than the price tags suggest.

• Finesse Moisturizing Shampoo (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance, DMDM hydantoin, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone)
• Fudge Clean Blonde Violet Toning Shampoo (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance, cocamide DEA, diazolidinyl urea, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate)
• It’s A 10 Miracle Shampoo Plus Keratin (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, dyes)
• Pantene Abundant & Strong Shampoo (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, dyes)
• Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, dyes)
• Suave Keratin Infusion Smoothing Shampoo (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance, DMDM hydantoin, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone)

Which Of These Shampoos Contain DMDM Hydantoin?

As of October 2026, three shampoos on the list contain DMDM hydantoin:

• Finesse Moisturizing Shampoo
• Keratin Complex Color Care Smoothing Shampoo
• Suave Keratin Infusion Smoothing Shampoo

Pureology and Nexxus do not contain DMDM hydantoin. A shampoo can skip it and still carry a preservative I avoid, such as methylisothiazolinone, so it’s worth reading the whole line rather than looking for one name.

Is There Formaldehyde In Shampoo?

Not as a listed ingredient. What some shampoos contain is a preservative that releases small amounts of formaldehyde over time, most often DMDM hydantoin or diazolidinyl urea. Warm storage and long shelf time can increase the released amount. My formaldehyde post explains how this works.

What Shampoo Ingredients Should I Avoid With Eczema Or A Sensitive Scalp?

Start with fragrance, then the preservatives: methylisothiazolinone, methylchloroisothiazolinone, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate, and the formaldehyde releasers DMDM hydantoin and diazolidinyl urea. All of them are contact allergens, so an irritated scalp would have less tolerance for them.

Is Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate Bad For Hair?

No. Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate is one of the gentler cleansing agents in shampoos, and it’s not on my avoid list. However, one gentle cleansing agent does not make a formula. Thus, six of the shampoos from the list above contain sodium cocoyl isethionate, yet they ended up in my Not A Fan tier because of other ingredients:

• Herbal Essences Scalp + Purify Eucalyptus Shampoo (fragrance)
• It’s A 10 Miracle Shampoo Plus Keratin (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, dyes)
• Kristin Ess Extra Gentle Shampoo (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance)
• Maui Thicken & Restore + Bamboo Fiber Shampoo (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance, diazolidinyl urea, iodopropynyl butylcarbamate)
• Oribe Serene Scalp Densifying Shampoo (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance)
• Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo (ethoxylated ingredients, fragrance, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, dyes)

Can Shampoo Cause Cancer?

Using shampoo does not cause cancer, and I want to be clear about that. My concern is different and quieter. Some shampoos use ingredients that are classified as carcinogens or carry carcinogenic contaminants, and you use shampoo several times a week for decades. Reducing that exposure is worth doing. Losing sleep over it is not.