Curl Corps Defining Cream

Amika

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Amika Curl Corps Defining Cream is a emulsion. Our analysis of its 35 ingredients (23 low-risk) rates it Excellent (88/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to dry skin. Heads up: it contains fragrance, which can irritate sensitive or reactive skin.

Vegan-friendly Reef-safe

Summarised from our ingredient analysis — not brand marketing copy.

At a glance

Type
Emulsion
Ingredients
35
Low-risk
23
Fragrance
Contains fragrance
Origin
United States
Data updated
May 2026

The evidence

Quick Product Notes

Paraben-Free Sulfate-Free Alcohol-Free Silicone-Free EU Allergen-Free Fungal Acne (Malassezia) Safe

Notable Effects & Ingredients

No Notable Effects & Ingredients

Ingredients Related to Skin Types

Good   Bad — tap a skin type to see which ingredients · estimated from ingredient functions
Dry Skin 6/4
Good for dry skin
Cetearyl Alcohol Ethyl Macadamiate Caprylyl Glycol Glycerin Propylene Glycol Hydrolyzed Jojoba Protein
Caution for dry skin
Glycerin Ceteareth-20 Cetrimonium Chloride Laureth-4
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin No data
Sensitive Skin 2/15
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
Caution for sensitive skin
Glycerin Propylene Glycol Citric Acid Isopropyl Alcohol Benzoic Acid Sodium Benzoate Sorbic Acid Phenoxyethanol Citronellol Limonene Benzyl Benzoate Coumarin Hydroxycitronellal Laureth-4 Malic Acid

Ingredients list

35 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (7)
All35 Fragrance15 Skin Conditioning12 Masking8 Hair Conditioning8 Solvent7 Preservative6 Humectant5 Antistatic Agent5
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
A
Cetearyl Alcohol
(Emulsion Stabilising, Opacifying, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasingagent Aqueous, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Emollient, Emulsifying, Viscosity Controlling)
2
A
Glycerin
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Humectant, Oral Care Agent, Oral Health Care Drug, Skin Protecting, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Perfuming, Solvent)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
3
B
Behentrimonium Chloride
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Preservative)
1
A
Tapioca Starch
(Viscosity Increasing Agent)
1
PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate
(Plasticizer, Skin Conditioning)
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit/Seed Oil
(Antimicrobial, Skin Conditioning)
Avena Sativa Peptide
(Film Forming, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Protein
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient)
1
A
Panthenol
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
TOCOPHEROL
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Skin Conditioning)
1
Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning)
Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
(Antistatic, Hair Conditioning)
3
B
Cetrimonium Chloride
(Antistatic Agent, Cosmetic Biocide, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Antimicrobial, Preservative)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
3
A
Sorbic Acid
(Fragrance, Preservative)
3
B
Ceteareth-20
(Cleansing, Emulsifying, Surfactant)
2
3
B
Laureth-4
(Antistatic Agent, Emulsifying, Masking, Surfactant)
Bad for Oily Skin
Bad for Oily Skin
1
Ethyl Macadamiate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient)
3
A
Aminomethyl Propanol
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
3
B
Propylene Glycol
(Fragrance, Humectant, Skin Conditioningagent Miscellaneous, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Skin Conditioning, Viscosity Controlling)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
3
A
Sodium Benzoate
(Fragrance, Preservative, Anticorrosive, Masking)
3
4
B
Malic Acid
(Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
3
A
Benzoic Acid
(Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Preservative, Bulking Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
A
1,2-Hexanediol
(Solvent)
1
A
Pentaerythrityl Tetra-di-t-butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
(Antioxidant)
2
A
Isopropyl Alcohol
(Antifoaming Agent, Fragrance, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Perfuming, Viscosity Controlling)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
PARFUM
(Fragrance, Perfuming)
6
A
Benzyl Benzoate
(Fragrance, Solvent, Antimicrobial, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
7
Hydroxycitronellal
(Fragrance, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
6
Limonene
(Deodorant, Perfuming, Solvent)
Allergens
Allergens
5
Citronellol
(Fragrance, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
7
Coumarin
(Fragrance, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens

My Ingredient Notes

No personal ingredient notes yet. Save ingredients to your profile to get good/bad alerts here.

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Key ingredients

Antioxidants
Shields skin from free radical damage.
Vitamin E
Protects skin and soothes irritation.
Peptides
Supports skin hydration and improves firmness.

Benefits

HydratingBoosts hydration and relieves dry, tight skin.
Barrier RepairStrengthen and restore your skin's natural barrier.
Redness ReducingSoothes visible redness and calms irritation.
Scar HealingImproves the look of marks and scars.
Anti-AgingSoftens lines and helps skin look youthful.
BrighteningRestores radiance to dull, tired skin.
Reduces IrritationEases discomfort and supports skin resilience.
Dark SpotsFades dark spots for even skin tone.

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains eu allergen
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Hydroxycitronellal — higher EWG
Coumarin — higher EWG
May not suit sensitive skin

EWG flags hazard, not real-world risk — ratings don't account for how much of an ingredient a product contains. Treat these as things to research, not verdicts. How we score →

Ingredients explained

Water
Solvent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Solvent
Cetearyl Alcohol
Emulsion stabilising, Opacifying
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingOpacifyingFoam boostingViscosity increasingagent - aqueousViscosity increasing agentEmollientEmulsifyingViscosity controlling
Behentrimonium Chloride
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Antistatic agentHair conditioningPreservative
Tapioca Starch
Viscosity increasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Viscosity increasing agent
PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate
Plasticizer, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 PlasticizerSkin conditioning
Hippophae Rhamnoides Fruit/Seed Oil
Antimicrobial, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AntimicrobialSkin conditioning
Avena Sativa Peptide
Film forming, Hair conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Film formingHair conditioningSkin conditioning
Hydrolyzed Jojoba Protein
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollient
TOCOPHEROL
Antioxidant, Fragrance
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AntioxidantFragranceSkin conditioning
Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antistatic agentHair conditioning
Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
Antistatic, Hair conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AntistaticHair conditioning
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antistatic agent, Cosmetic biocide
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Antistatic agentCosmetic biocideEmulsifyingSurfactantAntimicrobialPreservative
Caprylyl Glycol
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientHumectant
Sorbic Acid
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A FragrancePreservative
Ceteareth-20
Cleansing, Emulsifying
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B CleansingEmulsifyingSurfactant
+ 7 more — see the full ingredients list above
Glycerin
Denaturant, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A DenaturantFragranceHair conditioningHumectantOral care agentOral health care drugSkin protectingViscosity decreasing agentPerfumingSolvent Good for Dry SkinFungal-acne trigger
Panthenol
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioning Good for Dry Skin
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben
Laureth-4
Antistatic agent, Emulsifying
Potentially comedogenic - can block poresRead moreShow less
EWG 2–3 CIR B Antistatic agentEmulsifyingMaskingSurfactant Bad for Oily Skin
Propylene Glycol
Fragrance, Humectant
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B FragranceHumectantSkin-conditioningagent - miscellaneousSolventViscosity decreasing agentSkin conditioningViscosity controlling Good for Dry Skin
Citric Acid
Chelating agent, Fragrance
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Chelating agentFragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Benzoic Acid
Fragrance, Ph adjuster
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A FragrancePh adjusterPreservativeBulking agentMasking Bad for Sensitive Skin
Isopropyl Alcohol
Antifoaming agent, Fragrance
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 2 CIR A Antifoaming agentFragranceSolventViscosity decreasing agentPerfumingViscosity controlling Bad for Sensitive Skin
Benzyl Benzoate
Fragrance, Solvent
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 6 CIR A FragranceSolventAntimicrobialMasking Allergens
Hydroxycitronellal
Fragrance, Masking
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 7 FragranceMasking Allergens
Limonene
Deodorant, Perfuming
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 6 DeodorantPerfumingSolvent Allergens
Citronellol
Fragrance, Masking
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5 FragranceMasking Allergens
Coumarin
Fragrance, Masking
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 7 FragranceMasking Allergens

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Evening, start slow: Best in the PM a few times a week to begin with; avoid layering with other strong actives the same night.
  • 2 Wear SPF the next day: Acids and retinoids increase sun sensitivity — daily sunscreen is a must while using this.

General guidance from this product's category and active ingredients — always follow the directions on the package.

Trust & honesty

Effective levels — general guide

The concentrations these actives are typically effective at in research — not a measurement of this product.

AHA (acid exfoliant) 5–10% (OTC)

OTC leave-on AHAs are usually 5–10%. The effect also depends on pH and free-acid value, not the percentage alone.

Malic Acid

INCI lists don't disclose amounts, and we don't claim to know this product's levels — these are the ranges these ingredients are usually effective at, so you can tell a real formula from "fairy-dusting" a marketed active. How we estimate this.

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