Rouge Design’s doggy style question…I am new here and have really enjoyed all the great info on products for myself. Then I got to thinking about my baby boy. That is, my Mini Schnauzer. I’m wondering if you know anything about dog shampoo ingredients and what would be safe for their skin?
The Right Brain’s response:
Hi Rouge, and welcome to the Beauty Brains! We specialize in beauty science, not puppy pulchritude, but we’ll do our best to answer your question. We looked at dog shampoos and one of the first things we found out surprised us: Several salon hair care brands now make pet products!
Designer dog shampoos
That’s right. We found 3 different designer hair care companies who are now catering to pets. Who knows how many more are lurking in the wings? Here are some examples:
Kiehls Cuddly Coat Grooming Shampoo
Yes that’s right. Kiehls is not just for people anymore! They have a line of pet products including this shampoo. And according to their website, here are the ingredients:
Water, Disodium cocodiamphoacetate, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Lauramidopropyl Betaine, Bishydroxyethyl Dihydroxypropyl Stearamonium chloride, Cocamide MIPA, Glycerine, Fragrance, Sodium Hydroxymethylglycinate, Disodium EDTA, Citric Acid, Chamoomile Extract
John Paul Pet Super Bright Shampoo
Not to be outdone by Kiehls, stylist Paul Mitchell enters the fray with his John Paul Pet line. These products don’t list any ingredients, but they do proudly proclaim that they’re “tested on humans first.” First? And then what happens?
Pet Head Dirty Talk Deodorizing Shampoo
Bed Head has always been an edgy brand and they’ve carried that playful tone into their new Pet Head line. Sure, Pet Head is a is a clever play on words but what’s up with the saucy “Dirty Talk” name? Is this a dog shampoo or date night for Sarah Bellum? (Again, no mention of ingredients.)
Sulfate free dog shampoos
Despite their designer origins, none of these brands appear to be sulfate free. So let’s get back to Rouge’s original question about ingredients. As she pointed out in our Forum, you should only bathe your dog every month (or less) so you don’t dry out their skin. We’ve blogged before that sulfates are cheap, effective cleansing ingredients but they can be too drying for some skin types. In low concentrations, with infrequent usage, it’s unlikely that they would cause any problem for your pet. But, if you’re worried about using sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) shampoos on your pet’s delicate skin, then you need to find products that list the ingredients so you can look for non-sulfate formulas. You should look for the same kinds of ingredients used in baby shampoos like decyl glucoside. Here are a few examples of sulfate free dog shampoos you might want to consider.
Not Soap, Radio Say It With Suds You’re the Best Dog Herbal Shampoo
Ingredients: Aqua (distilled water), Sodium Olefin Sulfonate (plant source), Aloe Barbadensis (Aloe Vera) Leaf Juice, Cocamidoproply Betaine (plant source), Sodium Chloride Sea Salt, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Apple (Pyrus Malus) cider vinegar, Potassium Sorbate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Neem (melia azadirachta) leaf extract, Tocopherol (*Vitamin E), Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Sodium Bicarbionate (Baking Soda), Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender Extract) Oil, Cedrus Atlantica (Cedarwood) Bark Oil, Eucalyptus Globulous Leaf Oil, Cymbopogon Nadus (citonella) oil, Citric Acid (natural pH Adjuster)
The olefin sulfonate will not be as mild as regular baby shampoo.
Cloud Star Buddy Wash Pet Shampoo, Lavender & Mint
Ingredients: Coconut shampoo base, aloe vera gel, essence of lavender, essence of mint, chamomile extract, sage extract, nettles extract, rosemary extract, wheat protein extract (natural deodorizing agent), tea tree oil, vitamin E, vitamin C
We’re not sure about this one since it’s hard to tell what the heck coconut shampoo base includes. Since SLES can be made from coconut oil it could be “hidden” in the blend.
Nature’s Dog By Canus Fresh Goat’s Milk All Natural Shampoo Bar
Ingredients: Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernealate, Aqua, Glycerin, Caprae Lac (Fresh Goat’s Milk), Parfum, Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Leaf Extract, Juniperus Communis Fruit Extract, Malaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Extract, Sodium Chloride, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Limnanthes Alba (Meadowfoam) Seed Oil, Tetra Sodium Edta.
While it’s sulfate free, this soap based cleanser may not be very mild.
Four Paws Magic Coat Tearless Shampoo for Dogs and Puppies with Sensitive Skin
Ingredients: Water, Triethanolamine, Coamide DEA, PEG-40 Lanolin, Perfume, Quaternium 15, EDTA, Sodium Chloride, FD&C Yellow #5.
Ok, this one we’re suspicious of because of misspellings in the ingredient list we found online. Our guess is that it really contains Triethanolamine Lauryl Sulfate which is milder than most sulfates but it still is a sulfate.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Unlike people products, pet shampoos don’t have to list ingredients so it’s tricky to tell what each product contains. But based on our experience with people, occasionally using a shampoo that contains SLES is probably not really a problem. Still, if you are concerned, look for dog shampoos that list the ingredients on the label and avoid “sulfates.” Or, you could also use a regular baby shampoo. Or if you have an extra $6000 to spend, you could get the latest gadget for your pet: a shampoo-free automatic dog washer.
What do YOU think? Do you have a favorite pet shampoo? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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Great info and you are correct that its hard to find listed ingredients…I personally like the ‘Groomers’ line.
Date night with Sarah Bellum??? Excuse me??? I think Righty may just be jealous because at least I HAVE a date night!
Ha, good one Sarah. Sometimes I think that all the Left Brain and Right Brain have are “data” nights! lol.
As a professional pet groomer of 38 years, author of a book on pet shampoos (Beyond Suds & Scent – Understanding Pet Shampoos and Conditioners), AND the owner of two Bichons Frise, I have some disagreements with some of your premises.
First I disagree that dogs should be bathed only once a month. This may have been true with our older generation of products, but with today’s better formulations, there is little risk in more frequent bathing. Show dogs and pampered pets are often shampooed nearly as often as human counterparts. Dogs with environmental allergies do better with frequent bathing to remove allergens.
The downside of many of the more “natural”, sulfate-free, gentle shampoos for pets is that the formulas are imitating human baby products, but do not take into account the most significant difference in the task of cleaning a dirty dog and cleaning a human child: dogs are way more dirty. This is especially true if they go a month or more between baths. Using these mild formulations on dirty dogs is like washing hubby’s work clothes in a hand wash for silks. It doesn’t get out all the dirt and excess oils. That’s the main reason you see a little SLES thrown in the mix. It gets the canine clean.
Alpha Olefin Sulfonate in my view is the only non-sulfate detergent that has the cleaning power necessary to clean a really dirty dog, and it’s not exactly “mild”. And I’m surprised at Beauty Brains: You know better than to judge a formula by its primary surfactant. Your readers should be looking at the whole ingredient package, including conditioning agents, and emollients.
There is no one “best pet shampoo”, as dog hair and skin vary considerably. In some cases, you want softness, in others, you want a crisp coat. If you are using silicone-based detanglers, you might want a clarifying shampoo, while a dry skin calls for a moisturizing formula. These nuances in products will not be found by looking simply for something that is gentle and sulfate-free.
No sulfate fear here.
Barbara Bird, CMG, pet grooming educator, and pet owner.
Hi Barabara, and thanks for your comments!
You raised several good issues and for the most part we agree with you. (And we really appreciate your attempts to keep us honest!)
Our recommendation for only washing dogs every month or so comes from the Vet of one of the The Beauty Brains’ dogs. So that’s not our personal opinion.
We also agree that pets have different cleansing needs than humans. Your comments about baby shampoos not cleansing well enough for “dirty dogs” are very accurate!
As far as alpha olefin sulfonates are concerned, based on the data we’ve seen they’re not as mild as the amphoteric surfactants used in baby shampoos but they are better degreasers. So you may very well be right about them being a good alternative to sulfates.
And bravo for mentioning that conditioning formulas are important for dogs too! As we pointed out in our original post, we’re not experts in pet products, but we agree conditioning agents are an important part of any shampoo.
You can find Pet Head’s Dirty Talk ingredients on their website – http://www.pethead.com. Here are the ingredients for Dirty Talk:
Baking Soda and Ordenone: Work together to deodorize and freshen the coat.
• Vegetable Protein Extract & Hydrolyzed Soy Protein: Help build body and elasticity and leave the coat looking fuller and luscious.
Fruit Fantasy Fragrance
All Pet Head™ formulas are pH adjusted and free of Paraben, sulfate, DEA and are cruelty free.
The absolute best dog shampoo on the market today is Dogosuds organic and all natural shampoo. I’ve tried three of the four varieties. And, if you read the ingredient list it’s stellar!
My absolute favorite is Peppermint/Tea Tree:
Dogosuds® Peppermint Tea Tree Oil
http://www.dogosuds.com/ingredients.html (from the website and from the back of my tube of shampoo!)
Saponified coconut oil, Saponified olive oil, Saponified jojoba oil, vegetable gum/glycerine extract, aloe extract, yucca extract, peppermint extract, tea tree oil extract and rosemary extract.
It is a natural flea deterrent, washes and RINSES like nothing else available and has NOTHING chemical in it at all.
The Lavender gets rid of skunk smell (or any tough to get rid of stink) in the first wash.
And, the Essential Oil blend exfoliates the dander to leave my dog really soft!
I have been known to wash my dog with this every weekend…and the smell of the therapeutic grade essential oils lasts almost a week. My dogs smell so fresh and natural, and their coats are unbelievably soft and clean!
And, to be quite truthful, I use the lavender as a body wash…it’s all organic and contains nothing harmful! So, it leaves my skin incredible too!
I know I’m coming across this article over a year later, but I just wanted to point out that the pH of a dogs skin is different. So while I don’t think it will hurt to use a human shampoo occasionally, make sure you don’t do it every time you wash. Our skin/hair can deal with stuff that’s pretty acidic, while dogs need something more neutral.