Hydrating Foam

Paul Mitchell

Where to buy Possibly in stock

About this product

The Paul Mitchell Hydrating Foam is a misc. Our analysis of its 31 ingredients (17 low-risk) rates it Excellent (90/100). 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
31
Low-risk
17
Fragrance
Contains fragrance
Origin
United States

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 2/4
Good for dry skin
Ethyl Macadamiate Glycerin
Caution for dry skin
Glycerin Coco-glucoside Cetrimonium Chloride Sodium Hydroxide
Oily/Acne-Prone Skin No data
Sensitive Skin 1/15
Good for sensitive skin
Glycerin
Caution for sensitive skin
Linalyl Acetate Juniperus Virginiana Oil Glycerin Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes Citric Acid Sodium Benzoate Potassium Sorbate Phenoxyethanol Linalool Benzyl Alcohol Limonene Benzyl Salicylate Malic Acid Beta-Caryophyllene Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil

Ingredients list

31 total
Lower hazard (1) Higher hazard (7)
All31 Fragrance14 Skin Conditioning13 Masking10 Perfuming6 Hair Conditioning5 Preservative5 Solvent4 Antistatic Agent4
EWG CIR Ingredient Name & Cosmetic Functions Notes
1
Water
(Solvent)
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
B
Coco-glucoside
(Cleansing, Foaming, Surfactant)
1
A
Panthenol
(Antistatic Agent, Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning)
Good for Dry Skin
Good for Dry Skin
1
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Corn Starch
(Antistatic Agent, Film Forming, Hair Conditioning)
SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Skin Conditioning Emollient)
1
A
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
(Hair Conditioning, Skin Conditioning, Antistatic Agent)
TOCOPHEROL
(Antioxidant, Fragrance, Skin Conditioning)
3
4
B
Malic Acid
(Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
1
A
Hydroxyethylcellulose
(Binding Agent, Emulsion Stabilising, Film Forming, Viscosity Increasing Agent, Binding, Stabilising, Viscosity Controlling)
1
Ethyl Macadamiate
(Skin Conditioning, Emollient)
3
B
Cetrimonium Chloride
(Antistatic Agent, Cosmetic Biocide, Emulsifying, Surfactant, Antimicrobial, Preservative)
1
A
Ethylhexylglycerin
(Deodorant, Skin Conditioning)
2
A
Citric Acid
(Chelating Agent, Fragrance, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent, Masking)
Bad for Sensitive Skin
Bad for Sensitive Skin
5
A
Benzyl Alcohol
(External Analgesic, Fragrance, Oral Health Care Drug, Preservative, Solvent, Viscosity Decreasing Agent, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
4
A
Phenoxyethanol
(Fragrance, Preservative)
Paraben
Paraben
3
A
Sodium Benzoate
(Fragrance, Preservative, Anticorrosive, Masking)
3
A
Potassium Sorbate
(Fragrance, Preservative)
3
B
Sodium Hydroxide
(Denaturant, Ph Adjuster, Buffering Agent)
PARFUM
(Fragrance, Perfuming)
1
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
(Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)
7
Benzyl Salicylate
(Fragrance, Uv Absorber, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
5
Linalool
(Fragrance, Deodorant, Masking)
Allergens
Allergens
Citrus Limon Peel Oil
(Fragrance, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)
6
Limonene
(Deodorant, Perfuming, Solvent)
Allergens
Allergens
1
Linalyl Acetate
(Fragrance, Masking)
Pinene
(Antifoaming, Fragrance)
Pogostemon Cablin Leaf Oil
(Masking)
1
Juniperus Virginiana Oil
(Masking, Tonic)
Citrus Aurantium Amara Peel Oil
(Skin Conditioning)
Beta-Caryophyllene
(Masking, Perfuming, Skin Conditioning)

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

Glycerin
Humectant, Skin Protecting
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL
Skin Conditioning
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Skin Conditioning
TOCOPHEROL
Antioxidant, Skin Conditioning
Ethyl Macadamiate
Skin Conditioning, Emollient

Benefits

No standout benefits flagged for this product.

Concerns

Contains paraben
Contains eu allergen
Not fungal acne (malassezia) safe
Benzyl Salicylate — 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
Coco-glucoside
Cleansing, Foaming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR B CleansingFoamingSurfactant
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Corn Starch
Antistatic agent, Film forming
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Antistatic agentFilm formingHair conditioning
SIMMONDSIA CHINENSIS SEED OIL
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningSkin conditioning emollient
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
Hair conditioning, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Hair conditioningSkin conditioningAntistatic agent
TOCOPHEROL
Antioxidant, Fragrance
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A AntioxidantFragranceSkin conditioning
Malic Acid
Fragrance, Ph adjuster
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3–4 CIR B FragrancePh adjusterBuffering agent
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Binding agent, Emulsion stabilising
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A Binding agentEmulsion stabilisingFilm formingViscosity increasing agentBindingStabilisingViscosity controlling
Ethyl Macadamiate
Skin conditioning, Emollient
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 Skin conditioningEmollient
Cetrimonium Chloride
Antistatic agent, Cosmetic biocide
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B Antistatic agentCosmetic biocideEmulsifyingSurfactantAntimicrobialPreservative
Ethylhexylglycerin
Deodorant, Skin conditioning
Low-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 1 CIR A DeodorantSkin conditioning
Sodium Benzoate
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A FragrancePreservativeAnticorrosiveMasking
Potassium Sorbate
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR A FragrancePreservative
Sodium Hydroxide
Denaturant, Ph adjuster
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 3 CIR B DenaturantPh adjusterBuffering agent
PARFUM
Fragrance, Perfuming
Limited public safety data.Read moreShow less
EWG N/A FragrancePerfuming
+ 8 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
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
Benzyl Alcohol
External analgesic, Fragrance
Moderate-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 5 CIR A External analgesicFragranceOral health care drugPreservativeSolventViscosity decreasing agentMasking Allergens
Phenoxyethanol
Fragrance, Preservative
Low-to-moderate hazard.Read moreShow less
EWG 4 CIR A FragrancePreservative Paraben
Benzyl Salicylate
Fragrance, Uv absorber
Higher-hazard ingredient.Read moreShow less
EWG 7 FragranceUv absorberMasking 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

How to use

How to use

  • 1 Morning only: Apply as the last step of your AM routine, after moisturiser, and reapply every ~2 hours of sun exposure.
  • 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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