Brilliant Shampoo

Aveda

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Aveda Brilliant Shampoo is a misc. Our analysis of its 24 ingredients (14 low-risk) rates it Great (78/100). Based on its ingredients, it looks well-suited to oily / acne-prone 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
Misc
Ingredients
24
Low-risk
14
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 1/5
Good for dry skin
Caprylyl Glycol
Caution for dry skin
Maltodextrin Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate Isostearic Acid Salicylic Acid Eugenol
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Salicylic Acid
Sensitive Skin 2/11
Good for sensitive skin
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Caution for sensitive skin
Sodium Chloride Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract Salicylic Acid Phenoxyethanol Linalool Citronellol Limonene Eugenol Geraniol Hydroxycitronellal

Ingredients list

24 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (7)
All24 Skin Conditioning13 Masking9 Fragrance8 Hair Conditioning6 Perfuming4 Antistatic Agent4 Foam Boosting4 Film Forming4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
(Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)
Good for Sensitive Skin
Good for Sensitive Skin
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
A
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
(Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)
B
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
(Skin Conditioning)
Good for Sensitive Skin
Good for Sensitive Skin
1
B
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
(Cleansing, Foaming, Surfactant)
Sulfate
Sulfate
1
Isostearamidopropyl Morpholine Lactate
(Antistatic Agent)
1
B
Babassuamidopropyl Betaine
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Sufactant, Foam Boosting, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Polyquaternium-4
(Antistatic Agent, Film Forming, Hair Fixing)
1
B
Cocamidopropylamine Oxide
(Hair Conditioning, Sufactant, Foam Boosting, Hydrotrope)
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
1
Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning)
1
A
Isostearic Acid
(Binding Agent, Sufactantsurfactant Cleansing Agent Is Included As A Function For The Soap Form Of Isostearic Acid., Binding, Emulsifying)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
4
B
Salicylic Acid
(Antiacne Agent, Antidandruff Agent, Corn/Callus/Wart Remover, Denaturant, Exfoliant, Fragrance, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Keratolytic, Masking, Preservative)
Good for Oily Skin
Good for Oily Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
Sodium Chloride
(Bulking Agent, Masking, Oral Care Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Maltodextrin
(Absorbent, Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant, Binding)
1
A
Sodium Gluconate
(Chelating Agent, Skin Conditioning)
PARFUM
(Fragrance, Perfuming)
5
Linalool
(Fragrance, Deodorant, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
7
Eugenol
(Denaturant, Fragrance, Masking, Tonic)
Allergens
Allergens
7
Geraniol
(Fragrance, Masking, Tonic)
Allergens
Allergens
5
Citronellol
(Fragrance, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
7
Hydroxycitronellal
(Fragrance, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
6
Limonene
(Deodorant, Perfuming, Solvent)
Allergens
Allergens
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben

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

BHA
Unclogs pores and reduces excess oil.

Benefits

Reduces IrritationEases discomfort and supports skin resilience.
Redness ReducingSoothes visible redness and calms irritation.
HydratingBoosts hydration and relieves dry, tight skin.
Acne FightingFights acne and helps prevent breakouts.
BrighteningRestores radiance to dull, tired skin.
Good For Oily SkinBalances oil and helps reduce shine.
Reduces Large PoresMinimizes the look of enlarged pores.
Skin TextureSmooths rough patches and refines texture.

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains sulfate
Contains eu allergen
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Eugenol — higher EWG
Geraniol — higher EWG
Hydroxycitronellal — higher EWG
May not suit dry 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
Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
Masking, Perfuming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A MaskingPerfumingSkin conditioning
Isostearamidopropyl Morpholine Lactate
Antistatic agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antistatic agent
Babassuamidopropyl Betaine
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioningSufactantFoam boostingViscosity increasing agentViscosity controlling
Polyquaternium-4
Antistatic agent, Film forming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antistatic agentFilm formingHair fixing
Cocamidopropylamine Oxide
Hair conditioning, Sufactant
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B Hair conditioningSufactantFoam boostingHydrotrope
Caprylyl Glycol
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientHumectant
Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimonium Chloride Phosphate
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antistatic agentHair conditioning
Sodium Chloride
Bulking agent, Masking
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Bulking agentMaskingOral care agentViscosity controlling
Maltodextrin
Absorbent, Binding agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A AbsorbentBinding agentEmulsion stabilisingFilm formingHair conditioningSkin conditioningSuspending agent - nonsurfactantBinding
Sodium Gluconate
Chelating agent, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Chelating agentSkin conditioning
PARFUM
Fragrance, Perfuming
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragrancePerfuming
Anthemis Nobilis Flower Extract
Masking, Perfuming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 MaskingPerfumingSkin conditioning Good for Sensitive SkinGood for Dry Skin
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A CIR B Skin conditioning Good for Sensitive Skin
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleansing, Foaming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B CleansingFoamingSurfactant Sulfate
Isostearic Acid
Binding agent, Sufactantsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of isostearic acid.
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentSufactantsurfactant-cleansing agent is included as a function for the soap form of isostearic acid.BindingEmulsifying Fungal-acne trigger
Salicylic Acid
Antiacne agent, Antidandruff agent
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR B Antiacne agentAntidandruff agentCorn/callus/wart removerDenaturantExfoliantFragranceHair conditioningSkin conditioningKeratolyticMaskingPreservative Good for Oily SkinBad for Sensitive Skin
Linalool
Fragrance, Deodorant
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5 FragranceDeodorantMasking Allergens
Eugenol
Denaturant, Fragrance
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 7 DenaturantFragranceMaskingTonic Allergens
Geraniol
Fragrance, Masking
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 7 FragranceMaskingTonic Allergens
Citronellol
Fragrance, Masking
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5 FragranceMasking 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
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben

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

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Contains ingredients some choose to avoid or double-check while pregnant or nursing.

Use with caution
BHA (salicylic) (Salicylic Acid)

Low-strength topical salicylic acid (BHA) is generally considered fine. Caution is usually reserved for high-strength leave-on products and salicylic peels.

This is general information, not medical advice. Pregnancy guidance varies and depends on concentration and your individual situation — always check with your doctor, midwife or pharmacist. How we flag this.

Effective levels — general guide

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

BHA (salicylic) 0.5–2%

Salicylic acid is OTC-capped at 2%; 0.5–2% is the usual leave-on range. Much below that it acts more as a soothing agent than an exfoliant.

Salicylic 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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