Formulation Science
Reading a Label
Three things worth checking on any shampoo bottle in Malaysia: how strong the surfactant is, whether the silicones matter, and the notification number on the box.
Three things are worth your time on any bottle you pick up, ours included. How strong the surfactant is decides how much colour each wash costs you: sulfates lather hardest and strip pigment fastest, so a colour-safe shampoo puts a milder surfactant near the top of the list (read our guide to amino acid vs sulfate surfactants). Silicones are not the villains they get sold as — they coat the strand and smooth it (read the silicone build-up breakdown). The notification number is the one nobody checks: every cosmetic sold here should carry one, and you can look it up yourself on QUEST3+ in about a minute (step-by-step NOT verification guide).
Why colour drains in the first place — surfactant charge, cationic pigment, how much sulfate-free actually buys you — is covered inside why hair colour fades so fast in Malaysia.
Reading a LabelTea Tree Oil and a Flaky Scalp: The Part That Holds Up
Tea tree oil has one solid randomised trial behind it for everyday dandruff: a 5% shampoo, four weeks, a 41% …
Reading a LabelSilicones in Shampoo: Friend, Foe, or Marketing Villain? A Malaysian Guide
What dimethicone actually does to hair, why the follicle-clogging myth doesn't hold up, when silicone helps …
Reading a LabelThe RM-Premium 'Amino Acid' Bottle at Watsons: How to Check It Really Is One
Amino acid is a class of surfactant, not a certification. How to find the surfactant lines on a Malaysian …
Reading a LabelWhat is an NPRA NOT Number in Malaysia? How to Verify Haircare & Cosmetics on QUEST3+
Cosmetics sold in Malaysia require notification with NPRA. Learn what a NOT number actually means, what it …
