Shape Up Aqua Gel

Curlsmith

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Curlsmith Shape Up Aqua Gel is a misc. Our analysis of its 30 ingredients (18 low-risk) rates it Excellent (91/100). 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
30
Low-risk
18
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 3/4
Good for dry skin
Caprylyl Glycol Glycerin Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
Caution for dry skin
Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract Glycerin PVP PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin 1/0
Good for oily/acne-prone skin
Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract
Sensitive Skin 1/11
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin
Caution for sensitive skin
Glycerin Tartaric Acid Citric Acid Sodium Benzoate Potassium Sorbate PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil Phenoxyethanol Linalool Benzyl Alcohol Limonene Geraniol

Ingredients list

30 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (7)
All30 Skin Conditioning14 Fragrance11 Hair Conditioning7 Masking6 Humectant6 Perfuming5 Preservative4 Solvent4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
1
A
PVP
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Hair Fixing, Suspending Agent Nonsurfactant, Antistatic Agent, Binding, Viscosity Controlling)
1
A
Panthenol
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
3
B
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
(Fragrance, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Perfuming)
Fungal Acne
Fungal Acne Trigger
1
Lentinus Edodes Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
1
Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract
(Astringent, Skin Conditioning)
Ribes Nigrum Fruit Extract
(Astringent, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning Emollient)
Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
(Humectant, Skin Conditioning)
1
Opuntia Tuna Fruit Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
Cucurbita Pepo Seed Extract
(Skin Conditioning)
Hydroxypropylgluconamide
(Hair Conditioning, Humectant)
Hydroxypropylammonium Gluconate
(Hair Conditioning, Humectant)
Hydrolyzed Hemp Seed Extract
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Antistatic Agent)
1
A
Carbomer
(Emulsion Stabilising, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Gel Forming, 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
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)
1
A
Caprylyl Glycol
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Emollient, Humectant)
1
Tartaric Acid
(Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
1
A
Disodium EDTA
(Chelating Agent, Viscosity Controlling)
3
A
Sodium Benzoate
(Fragrance, Preservative, Anticorrosive, Masking)
3
A
Potassium Sorbate
(Fragrance, Preservative)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
3
A
Aminomethyl Propanol
(Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
PARFUM
(Fragrance, Perfuming)
5
A
Benzyl Alcohol
(External Analgesic, Fragrance, Oral Health Care Drug, Preservative, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
5
Linalool
(Fragrance, Deodorant, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
6
Limonene
(Deodorant, Perfuming, Solvent)
Allergens
Allergens
7
Geraniol
(Fragrance, Masking, Tonic)
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

Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Lentinus Edodes Extract
Skin Conditioning
Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract
Astringent, Skin Conditioning
Ribes Nigrum Fruit Extract
Astringent, Skin Conditioning
Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
Humectant, Skin Conditioning
Opuntia Tuna Fruit Extract
Skin Conditioning

Benefits

HydratingBoosts hydration and relieves dry, tight skin.
Scar HealingImproves the look of marks and scars.
Barrier RepairStrengthen and restore your skin's natural barrier.
Reduces IrritationEases discomfort and supports skin resilience.
Redness ReducingSoothes visible redness and calms irritation.

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains eu allergen
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Geraniol — higher EWG
May not suit dry skin
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
PVP
Binding agent, Emulsion stabilising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentEmulsion stabilisingFilm formingHair fixingSuspending agent - nonsurfactantAntistatic agentBindingViscosity controlling
Lentinus Edodes Extract
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioning
Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract
Astringent, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 AstringentSkin conditioning
Ribes Nigrum Fruit Extract
Astringent, Perfuming
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AstringentPerfumingSkin conditioningSkin conditioning emollient
Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
Humectant, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A HumectantSkin conditioning
Opuntia Tuna Fruit Extract
Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioning
Cucurbita Pepo Seed Extract
Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Skin conditioning
Hydroxypropylgluconamide
Hair conditioning, Humectant
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningHumectant
Hydroxypropylammonium Gluconate
Hair conditioning, Humectant
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningHumectant
Hydrolyzed Hemp Seed Extract
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningSkin conditioning
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningAntistatic agent
Carbomer
Emulsion stabilising, Viscosity increasing agent
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Emulsion stabilisingViscosity increasing agentGel formingViscosity controlling
Ethylhexylglycerin
Deodorant, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A DeodorantSkin conditioning
Caprylyl Glycol
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningEmollientHumectant
+ 5 more — see the full ingredients list above
Panthenol
Antistatic agent, Hair conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Antistatic agentHair conditioningSkin conditioning Good for Dry Skin
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
Fragrance, Emulsifying
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B FragranceEmulsifyingSurfactantPerfuming Fungal-acne trigger
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
Tartaric Acid
Fragrance, Ph adjuster
Skin irritation can occur at high concentrationRead moreShow less
EWG 1 FragrancePh adjusterBuffering agentMasking Bad for Sensitive 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
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben
Benzyl Alcohol
External analgesic, Fragrance
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5 CIR A External analgesicFragranceOral health care drugPreservativeSolventViscosity decreasing agentMasking Allergens
Linalool
Fragrance, Deodorant
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5 FragranceDeodorantMasking Allergens
Limonene
Deodorant, Perfuming
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 6 DeodorantPerfumingSolvent Allergens
Geraniol
Fragrance, Masking
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 7 FragranceMaskingTonic 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.

Tartaric 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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