Mary C says…I wanted to ask this question mainly because I noticed the packaging is different and I am also aware that Europe has stricter policies in regards to cosmetics than the US. For example, does L’Oreal use different ingredients for their US version of their shampoo vs their European version of the same shampoo? I apologize if this does not make any sense, I can explain better if needed. Some of my favorite YouTube beauty gurus use drugstore products but from European drugstores like Tesco and I was curious if there was a difference in their quality in comparison to their US versions. Especially since I live in the US and only have access to Target and Walgreen’s 
The Beauty Brains respond:
Yes, Mary, EU and US products can contain different ingredients. There are essentially three reasons why this might be the case:
1. Regulations
Certain ingredients are not allowed in EU vs US. This is especially true in the case of over the counter drug like sunscreens, acne and dandruff products.
2. Consumer perception
Consumers in one county may hate animal ingredients, for example, so they are omitted even though there is nothing technically or legally wrong with them.
3. Supply issues
Certain ingredients may be more expensive or harder to get in one region versus another. For example, a company I worked for used one version of Sodium Lauryl Ether Sulfate in the US and a different version in the EU because it was difficult to buy the exact same version in both countries.
Do different ingredients mean the product will perform differently?
Sometimes ingredient substitutions will affect the quality of the product other times it makes no difference what so ever. For example, if the difference is a drug active I’d expect it to be different. But if the substitution is a low level of a plant protein for an animal protein you probably won’t be able to tell the difference. Another example: we used to make a conditioner in the US that used cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. When we sold that same product in the UK we made it with cetearyl alcohol which looks different on the ingredient list but in reality it’s just a blend of the same two ingredients we used in the US.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
To determine if ingredient substitutions affect product quality, you have to look at each product on a case by case basis. If you have specific L’Oreal shampoos you’d like us to look at, leave a comment with links to the US and EU versions and we’ll dissect the differences for you.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I think there are some products sold elusively in the EU which is pretty sweet, it would be fun to visit a country and among enjoying the culture experience of course shop in the drug stores and see what different types of products they have. I know people who go to Quebec and they sell alcohol thats 99% alcohol level and its illegal everywhere else in North America which isnt a beauty product obviously but still interesting to me region specific products. Oh and pineapple crush in newfoundland!! yummy
Quite a number of years ago I bought Lancome shampoo in the states. Now I am told it is no longer allowed to be sold here. I believe it may have been an herbal shampoo. It was a wonderful shampoo. I originally bought the shampoo at the PX in Alabama and many times when I lived in Germany. Do have any idea why this product would be banned from the US when Lancome sell other products hered?
If you can tell us the name of the specific product we could look at the ingredient list and try to figure it out – assuming they haven’t changed the formula since you last bought it.