Rows of aloe vera plants growing in open ground under a blue sky.

Grown, not manufactured

It starts in a field.

formulas, with every ingredient list published in full further down.

Every ingredient, all of it

Read the label first. Here it is, in full.

I only put in what I used on Cristina. Every ingredient in all 22 of our formulas is named below, and so is everything we leave out.

Full lists rather than summaries. Every allergen-relevant ingredient named in a table. And the two exclusions we cannot yet confirm, left visibly unpublished rather than quietly dropped.

9 allergen-relevant ingredients, named in a table.

The six we lean on

Six ingredients, four questions each.

These six do most of the work across the range. For each one: what it is, what it does, how the material is made, and what it is not.

Colloidal oatmeal

Colloidal Oatmeal (1 percent)

What it is: The whole oat kernel, milled fine enough to stay suspended in water instead of sinking to the bottom. Not an extract and not an oil. The whole grain.
What it does: Holds water against the skin and leaves it feeling comfortable rather than tight.
How it is made: Avena sativa is grown as a field crop. The grain is harvested, hulled, then milled until the particles are small enough to stay in suspension. That is how colloidal oatmeal is made wherever it is made.
What it is not: Not oat oil and not oat extract. One percent is the clinically studied dose. The dose is what has been studied, not our bottle, and it should not be read as a seal on it.

In our Nourishing Baby Moisturizing Body Cream, and in the sets that carry it.

Two shea fruits held in an open palm, one green and one ripened to yellow, with a shea grove behind.

Shea butter

Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)

What it is: The fat pressed from the seed of the shea tree. Solid in the jar, soft the moment it touches skin.
What it does: Slows the rate water leaves the skin, and softens hair without leaving a film. It is the reason our wash does not leave a baby squeaky.
How it is made: Vitellaria paradoxa is the shea tree of the West African savannah. Its nuts are gathered, dried, cracked and pressed. The process is the same wherever shea butter is produced.
What it is not: Not one of the nine major food allergens in the United States, as those are currently defined. Shea is a seed fat rather than a tree nut in the regulatory sense, and that line is argued over. The label carries it every single time, and if shea is a gate in your house, treat it as one.

In our Nourishing Baby Wash and Shampoo, Nourishing Baby Conditioner, Nourishing Baby Hair and Body Butter, Nourish + Grow Hair Moisturizing Cream and Curl Enhancing Refreshing Spray.

Aloe

Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Aloe Barbadensis Extract, Aloe Vera Gel

What it is: The juice pressed from the inner leaf of the aloe plant. In several of our formulas it is the base, standing in for water.
What it does: Adds slip and leaves skin feeling calm. Slip is the thing that lets a comb move through wet hair instead of dragging.
How it is made: Aloe barbadensis. The leaf is cut, the bitter outer latex drained away, and the clear inner gel pressed and filtered.
What it is not: Not a preservative and not a fragrance. Aloe listed as a juice, aloe listed as an extract and aloe listed as a gel are three different materials, so the list below says which one is in which bottle.

Printed as Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice in our Nourish + Grow Kids Shampoo, Nourish + Grow Conditioning Detangler Spray, Curl Enhancing Shampoo, Curl Enhancing Curly Custard, Curl Enhancing Styling Gel and Curl Enhancing Refreshing Spray. Printed as Aloe Barbadensis Extract in our Nourishing Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50, and in the Nourish + Grow Conditioning Detangler Spray, which carries both. Printed under other names again in three more: Organic Aloe Leaf in the Nourishing Baby Calming Bedtime Bath Soak, Aloe Vera in the Nourish + Grow Kids Edge Tamer Gel and Aloe Vera Gel in the Curl Enhancing Defining Cream.

The third answer describes how the material is generally produced. It is not a description of our own supply chain.

Jump to the allergen table

Rosemary

Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract

What it is: An extract of the rosemary leaf. In two of our shampoos it is the water the formula is built on rather than something added to it.
What it does: Leaves a dry scalp feeling comfortable, and gives the formula a light herbal smell that comes from the plant.
How it is made: Rosmarinus officinalis is a woody Mediterranean shrub. The leaf is harvested, then either steeped as a water or extracted.
What it is not: Not rosemary essential oil at aromatherapy strength, and not a hair growth treatment. You will see that claim made about rosemary elsewhere. You will not see us make it.

In our Nourishing Baby Wash and Shampoo, Nourishing Baby Conditioner, Nourishing Baby Hair and Scalp Oil, Nourish + Grow Kids Shampoo, Nourish + Grow Kids Scalp Serum and Nourish + Grow Leave In Treatment.

A castor plant in seed, its spiny green pods held on a stem above broad palmate leaves.

Castor oil

Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil

What it is: A thick, heavy oil pressed from the castor seed. The heaviest thing we use.
What it does: Coats the hair shaft and seals the ends. Sealed ends are ends that do not snap off, which is what length retention actually means.
How it is made: Ricinus communis. The seed is pressed and the oil filtered. Nothing more complicated than that happens to it.
What it is not: Not a growth drug. It helps hair stay on the head rather than making it come out of the head faster, and nobody should tell you otherwise.

In our Nourishing Baby Hair and Body Butter, Nourish + Grow Kids Shampoo, Nourish + Grow Kids Scalp Serum, Nourish + Grow Conditioning Detangler Spray, Curl Enhancing Curly Custard and Curl Enhancing Styling Gel.

Jojoba

Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil

What it is: A liquid wax, not an oil, however often it gets called one. Its structure is close to what skin already makes for itself.
What it does: Sits on the surface and balances rather than soaking in and saturating. It is what keeps fine curls conditioned without tipping into greasy.
How it is made: Simmondsia chinensis is a shrub of the American southwest desert. Its seed is cold pressed.
What it is not: Not a nut oil, and not one of the heavy oils that build up on a scalp.

In our Nourishing Baby Hair and Body Butter, Nourishing Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 and Curl Enhancing Deep Conditioner. Our Nourishing Baby Moisturizing Body Cream uses the hydrogenated form, printed as Hydrogenated Jojoba Oil, which is a different entry on the label.

SLS, SLES, parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, synthetic fragrance or synthetic dye, in any of the 22.

What is not in the bottle

The never list.

Checked ingredient by ingredient against the published list for all 22 formulas we sell. One row runs the other way and says what we do use.

I read every one of these lists myself before it went up. Where I could not confirm something, I said so instead of leaving it out.

Courtney
Founder, Cristina's Curls

Ingredients we do not use, and why, with one row for an ingredient we do use
What we leave out	Why, in plain English
Sulfates	No sodium lauryl sulfate and no sodium laureth sulfate in any of our 22 formulas. One product, the Curl Enhancing Shampoo, uses sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate, which is a sulfonate rather than a sulfate. Five formulas also carry behentrimonium methosulfate. The Nourish + Grow Hair Moisturizing Cream and Nourish + Grow Leave In Treatment spell it out in full; the Nourish + Grow Deep Conditioner, Curl Enhancing Deep Conditioner and Curl Enhancing Defining Cream shorten it to BTMS. It is a conditioning emulsifier rather than a detergent, but the word sulfate is sitting there on the label and you would find it.
Parabens	No methyl, propyl, butyl or ethyl paraben anywhere in the range. Where a preservative is used, it is named on the label. The ones we use are caprylhydroxamic acid, glyceryl caprylate, 1,2 hexanediol, pentylene glycol and potassium sorbate.
Mineral oil and petrolatum	No mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffin or microcrystalline wax. The waxes in these formulas are candelilla and beeswax. The emollient esters are plant derived.
Synthetic fragrance and parfum	Not one product lists Fragrance or Parfum, which is the word a manufacturer hides a scent blend behind. Several formulas do contain essential oils, among them lavender, chamomile, peppermint, tangerine and bergamot, and those have a smell. Each one is named on its own list rather than collapsed into a single word. Three lists carry a material printed as an essential oil that we are still confirming. Coconut Essential Oil in the Curl Enhancing Defining Cream, and Mango Essential Oil in the Curl Enhancing Curly Custard and Curl Enhancing Styling Gel. Coconut and mango do not yield true essential oils. We have asked what those materials are.
Synthetic dyes	No FD&C or D&C colors, no lakes, no Blue 1, no Red 40. The only color index number anywhere in the range is CI 77947, which is zinc oxide in the Nourishing Baby Calming Bedtime Bath Soak, a mineral doing a job rather than a dye.
This one we do useIngredients from animals	We do not call this a vegan brand, because it is not one. Seven of the 22 formulas contain something that came from an animal. Emu oil, which is rendered animal fat, is in the Nourish + Grow Deep Conditioner and the Curl Enhancing Defining Cream. Honey, printed either as Honey or by its INCI name Mel, is in the Nourish + Grow Hair Moisturizing Cream, the Curl Enhancing Defining Cream and the Nourishing Baby Hair and Body Butter. Beeswax is in the Nourishing Baby Moisturizing Body Cream. Silk is in the Nourish + Grow Conditioning Detangler Spray and, as silk amino acids, in the Curl Enhancing Refreshing Spray. Plant based describes most of what goes into these bottles. It does not describe all of it.

Sulfates

No sodium lauryl sulfate and no sodium laureth sulfate in any of our 22 formulas. One product, the Curl Enhancing Shampoo, uses sodium C14-16 olefin sulfonate, which is a sulfonate rather than a sulfate. Five formulas also carry behentrimonium methosulfate. The Nourish + Grow Hair Moisturizing Cream and Nourish + Grow Leave In Treatment spell it out in full; the Nourish + Grow Deep Conditioner, Curl Enhancing Deep Conditioner and Curl Enhancing Defining Cream shorten it to BTMS. It is a conditioning emulsifier rather than a detergent, but the word sulfate is sitting there on the label and you would find it.
Parabens

No methyl, propyl, butyl or ethyl paraben anywhere in the range. Where a preservative is used, it is named on the label. The ones we use are caprylhydroxamic acid, glyceryl caprylate, 1,2 hexanediol, pentylene glycol and potassium sorbate.
Mineral oil and petrolatum

No mineral oil, petrolatum, paraffin or microcrystalline wax. The waxes in these formulas are candelilla and beeswax. The emollient esters are plant derived.
Synthetic fragrance and parfum

Not one product lists Fragrance or Parfum, which is the word a manufacturer hides a scent blend behind. Several formulas do contain essential oils, among them lavender, chamomile, peppermint, tangerine and bergamot, and those have a smell. Each one is named on its own list rather than collapsed into a single word. Three lists carry a material printed as an essential oil that we are still confirming. Coconut Essential Oil in the Curl Enhancing Defining Cream, and Mango Essential Oil in the Curl Enhancing Curly Custard and Curl Enhancing Styling Gel. Coconut and mango do not yield true essential oils. We have asked what those materials are.
Synthetic dyes

No FD&C or D&C colors, no lakes, no Blue 1, no Red 40. The only color index number anywhere in the range is CI 77947, which is zinc oxide in the Nourishing Baby Calming Bedtime Bath Soak, a mineral doing a job rather than a dye.
This one we do use
Ingredients from animals

We do not call this a vegan brand, because it is not one. Seven of the 22 formulas contain something that came from an animal. Emu oil, which is rendered animal fat, is in the Nourish + Grow Deep Conditioner and the Curl Enhancing Defining Cream. Honey, printed either as Honey or by its INCI name Mel, is in the Nourish + Grow Hair Moisturizing Cream, the Curl Enhancing Defining Cream and the Nourishing Baby Hair and Body Butter. Beeswax is in the Nourishing Baby Moisturizing Body Cream. Silk is in the Nourish + Grow Conditioning Detangler Spray and, as silk amino acids, in the Curl Enhancing Refreshing Spray. Plant based describes most of what goes into these bottles. It does not describe all of it.

Two rows are drafted and not published, for phthalates and for formaldehyde-releasing preservatives. Both are waiting on written confirmation from our manufacturer. Two of our lists name a preservative by a supplier trade name rather than by its ingredient name, and until we have that answer in writing we will not put an absolute here in either direction.

If something on a label does not match this page, tell us and the page gets fixed that week.

The allergen answer

Nuts, cereals and seeds, named.

Three products contain sweet almond oil, which is a tree nut derivative: the Nourish + Grow Conditioning Detangler Spray, the Curl Enhancing Curly Custard and the Curl Enhancing Styling Gel. Any set holding one of those three holds almond as well.

Ours is not a nut-free facility and it will not be described as one. We do not have allergen segregation statements for sesame, soy, wheat or oat either. Nothing here is a cross-contamination guarantee. It is a statement of what is in the formula.

If a nut allergy is an absolute gate in your house, read this table, then read the full list for the exact product before you buy.

Allergen relevant ingredients and the products that contain them
Ingredient	On the label as	In these products
Sweet almond oil	Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil	Nourish + Grow Conditioning Detangler Spray Curl Enhancing Curly Custard Curl Enhancing Styling Gel Nourish + Grow Deluxe Set Nourish + Grow Essentials Set Curl Enhancing Essentials Set Curl Enhancing Styling Set Comb & Curl Enhancing Styling Gel Set The five sets carry one of the first three products, unchanged.
Argan oil	Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil	Nourishing Baby Hair and Body Butter Nourish + Grow Kids Scalp Serum Nourish + Grow Conditioning Detangler Spray Curl Enhancing Deep Conditioner Argan comes from a tree kernel, and most allergists treat it as a tree nut derivative.
Apricot kernel oil	Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot Oil)	Nourish + Grow Hair Moisturizing Cream Apricot kernel sits in the same plant genus as almond, Prunus. If almond is a hard gate in your house, treat this one as a gate too.
Coconut	Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Water or Extract	Nourishing Baby Wash and Shampoo Nourishing Baby Conditioner Nourishing Baby Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 Nourish + Grow Kids Shampoo Nourish + Grow Deep Conditioner Nourish + Grow Leave In Treatment Curl Enhancing Defining Cream Curl Enhancing Refreshing Spray Curl Enhancing Shampoo Coconut-derived cleansers count here too. The Curl Enhancing Shampoo holds no coconut oil, but both of its cleansers, sodium cocoyl glycinate and decyl glucoside, are made from coconut. In the United States coconut has been treated as a tree nut for allergen labeling, which is why it sits on this table, though allergists dispute that classification. Coconut-derived emollients and preservatives appear more widely than this row can track. If coconut is an absolute gate, read the full list for the exact product. Reviewed quarterly.
Shea butter	Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)	Nourishing Baby Wash and Shampoo Nourishing Baby Conditioner Nourishing Baby Hair and Body Butter Nourish + Grow Hair Moisturizing Cream Curl Enhancing Refreshing Spray Shea is not currently among the nine major United States food allergens, and that classification is argued over. It sits on this table because parents ask. Reviewed quarterly.
Wheat	Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein	Nourish + Grow Conditioning Detangler Spray Curl Enhancing Curly Custard Curl Enhancing Styling Gel Our wide tooth comb is molded from a wheat straw composite, which matters if the allergy is a contact one. The comb has no ingredient list below because it is not a formula.
Oat	Colloidal Oatmeal, Hydrolyzed Oat Flour, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Oil, Oat Extract	Nourishing Baby Moisturizing Body Cream Nourishing Baby Hair and Body Butter Nourish + Grow Deep Conditioner Nourish + Grow Leave In Treatment The Nourishing Baby Moisturizing Body Cream carries colloidal oatmeal. The Nourishing Baby Hair and Body Butter carries oat kernel oil. The Nourish + Grow Deep Conditioner carries both hydrolyzed oat flour and oat kernel extract. The Nourish + Grow Leave In Treatment carries oat extract. Oat is not one of the nine major United States food allergens, so nothing requires it to be on a table like this. It is here because sensitisation to oat is well documented in babies with eczema, this range is made for skin like that, and wheat already has a row above. A table with wheat on it and no oat would read as an all clear it has not earned. Reviewed quarterly.
Sesame	Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil	Curl Enhancing Curly Custard Curl Enhancing Styling Gel Sesame became the ninth major United States allergen in 2023, so it is newer to most labels than it should be.
Soy	Glycine Soja (Soy Oil)	Curl Enhancing Curly Custard Curl Enhancing Styling Gel Highly refined soy oil is tolerated by most people with a soy allergy. Most is not all, and it is printed on the label, so it is on this table.

Sweet almond oil
On the label as: Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil
In these products
The five sets carry one of the first three products, unchanged.
Argan oil
On the label as: Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
In these products
Argan comes from a tree kernel, and most allergists treat it as a tree nut derivative.
Apricot kernel oil
On the label as: Prunus Armeniaca (Apricot Oil)
In these products
- Nourish + Grow Hair Moisturizing Cream
Apricot kernel sits in the same plant genus as almond, Prunus. If almond is a hard gate in your house, treat this one as a gate too.
Coconut
On the label as: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Water or Extract
In these products
Coconut-derived cleansers count here too. The Curl Enhancing Shampoo holds no coconut oil, but both of its cleansers, sodium cocoyl glycinate and decyl glucoside, are made from coconut. In the United States coconut has been treated as a tree nut for allergen labeling, which is why it sits on this table, though allergists dispute that classification. Coconut-derived emollients and preservatives appear more widely than this row can track. If coconut is an absolute gate, read the full list for the exact product. Reviewed quarterly.
Shea butter
On the label as: Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)
In these products
Shea is not currently among the nine major United States food allergens, and that classification is argued over. It sits on this table because parents ask. Reviewed quarterly.
Wheat
On the label as: Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
In these products
Our wide tooth comb is molded from a wheat straw composite, which matters if the allergy is a contact one. The comb has no ingredient list below because it is not a formula.
Oat
On the label as: Colloidal Oatmeal, Hydrolyzed Oat Flour, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Oil, Oat Extract
In these products
The Nourishing Baby Moisturizing Body Cream carries colloidal oatmeal. The Nourishing Baby Hair and Body Butter carries oat kernel oil. The Nourish + Grow Deep Conditioner carries both hydrolyzed oat flour and oat kernel extract. The Nourish + Grow Leave In Treatment carries oat extract. Oat is not one of the nine major United States food allergens, so nothing requires it to be on a table like this. It is here because sensitisation to oat is well documented in babies with eczema, this range is made for skin like that, and wheat already has a row above. A table with wheat on it and no oat would read as an all clear it has not earned. Reviewed quarterly.
Sesame
On the label as: Sesamum Indicum (Sesame) Seed Oil
In these products
- Curl Enhancing Curly Custard
- Curl Enhancing Styling Gel
Sesame became the ninth major United States allergen in 2023, so it is newer to most labels than it should be.
Soy
On the label as: Glycine Soja (Soy Oil)
In these products
- Curl Enhancing Curly Custard
- Curl Enhancing Styling Gel
Highly refined soy oil is tolerated by most people with a soy allergy. Most is not all, and it is printed on the label, so it is on this table.

Find the right products

This table is built from the ingredient list on each product. It is not a substitute for reading that list and it is not medical advice. If your child has a diagnosed allergy, check the full list for the exact product below and talk to your pediatrician.

One bundle, the Nourishing Baby Calm Skin Duo, has no ingredient list of its own published yet. Until it does, read the lists for the two products inside it, the Nourishing Baby Moisturizing Body Cream and the Nourishing Baby Soothing Serum.

Every list, in full

The full ingredient list for every product.

22 formulas. Each list is read straight from its own product page, so the two cannot drift apart. Ingredients appear in the order the manufacturer supplied them. Sets and bundles are not listed separately because they carry the products above, unchanged.

Nourishing Baby Wash and Shampoo19 ingredients

Water/Aqua/Eau, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Panthenol, Sodium Lauroyl Glutamate, Sodium Cocoyl Glycinate, Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate, Calendula Officinalis Extract, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Rosmarinus Officinalis Extract, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Polygonum Cuspidatum Root Extract, Prunus Persica (Peach) Leaf Extract, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Citric Acid, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Pentylene Glycol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Glyceryl Caprylate.

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Country/region

Read the label first. Here it is, in full.

Six ingredients, four questions each.

Colloidal oatmeal

Shea butter

Aloe

Rosemary

Castor oil

Jojoba

The never list.

Sulfates

Parabens

Mineral oil and petrolatum

Synthetic fragrance and parfum

Synthetic dyes

Ingredients from animals

Nuts, cereals and seeds, named.

Sweet almond oil

Argan oil

Apricot kernel oil

Coconut

Shea butter

Wheat

Oat

Sesame

Soy

The full ingredient list for every product.

Now pick the one that fits.