AquaMarine Revitalising Fresh Herb Conditioner - Breaking Down The Ingredients...

By . - Friday, January 13, 2012


Do you understand the ingredients on the back of your hair products? Do you really understand what you are applying to your hair? I decided to breakdown the ingredients of a new conditioner that I recently bought called AquaMarine Revitalising Fresh Herb Conditioner by Revlon

It was R10 ($1.24) at my local Shoprite and I snatched the bottle off the shelf so quickly. I initially checked the bottle to see if there were any silicones in it and there weren’t. I’m not sensitive to silicones (at least I don’t think I am), but I wanted to see if I would be able to feel a difference in my hair. I did by the way. There was no coating on my hair like there usually is after a co-wash. I appreciate the coating because I have curly hair and it helps my curls to ‘behave’, but I was willing to let it go to see if there were benefits to not having them.

Anyway, I decided that I wanted to breakdown the meaning of all the ingredients on the bottle and educate my readers on what’s in our hair products. Take a look below.


  • Aqua (water) – No need to break this down  It’s the purest form of a moisturizer your body can get!
  • Cetyl Alcohol  - It’s a fatty alcohol used as a opacifier in shampoos or as an emollient, emulsifier or thickening agent in lotions and conditioners.
    • Opacifier –  A substance added to a product in order to make it opaque. It basically gives the product a rich, creamy look and feel.
    • Emollient –  It’s another word for moisturizer!
    • Emulsifier – This product helps two liquids that are normally un-blendable mix.
  • Stearalkonium Chloride -  It’s an anti-static agent, a surfactant and a antimicrobial.
    • Anti-static agent –  Reduces or eliminates the buildup of static electricity by absorbing moisture from the air, so some humectants can be used.
    • Surfactant – a substance when dissolved in water helps to remove dirt from skin.
    • Antimicrobial – Kills and inhibits the growth of bacteria, fungi and protozoans.
  • Parfum (fragrance) – 
  • Cetearyl Alcohol –  It’s used as an emulsion stabilizer, opacifying agent and foam boosting surfactant.
  • Methylparaben –  Anti-fungal agent produced naturally and found in several fruits.
  • PEG-20 Stearate –  Is the ingredient responsible for cleaning skin and hair. It helps the water to mix with oil and dirt so that it can be rinsed away. This is the ingredient that make co-washing work!
  • Hydrolyzed Collagen – Produced from collagen found in bones, skin and connective tissue of animals such as cattle. Its responsible for improving and strengthening the hair.
  • Propylparaben – Preservative
  • Citric Acid – It’s a chelating agent but mainly a natural preservative
  • Methylchloroisothiazolinone –  A preservative with antibacterial and antifungal effects.
  • Methylisothiazoline –  Powerful biocide and preservative used in body care products.
  • Limonene – Responsible for the citrus scent in products.
  • Linalool – Used as a scent in shampoos and conditioners. A common downstream product of linalool is vitamin E.


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2 comments

  1. i have just bought a cheap conditioner with most of these ingredients, please let me know what to look for in a proper one. Thank you

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anonymous!

      Most of the ingredients are fine above except for the Stearalkonium Chloride because it is a surfactant. Surfactants are basically harsh detergents. It's really not great for the hair, but it won't damage it too much if you make sure your hair is constantly moisturized. When all else fails, go for a 100% natural hair product. These products usually don't have more than 10 ingredients to list. I hope this helps!

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