The Reytha Promise: 10 Ingredients We Will Never Put in Our Products — And Why

A brand's values are not what it says on its homepage. They're what it says no to — especially when saying yes would be cheaper and easier.

Building a personal care brand in India in 2026 means making hundreds of formulation decisions. Most of them are easy — obvious choices that every clean beauty brand makes. But some of them are hard. Some of them cost more. Some of them mean accepting a product that foams less, feels slightly different, or costs more per unit to manufacture.

These are the decisions that define a brand. Not the ones you make when it's easy — but the ones you stick to when it would be perfectly reasonable to compromise.

Here are ten ingredients Reytha will never use — not because we legally can't, but because we've decided we won't.

1. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS)

The most common shampoo surfactant in the world. Cheap, effective at creating foam, and pH-disruptive. SLS has a pH of around 9–10 — nearly twice as alkaline as the scalp's natural 4.5–5.5 range. Every wash with SLS is an alkaline assault on the scalp's acid mantle. We use gentler, plant-derived cleansing agents instead. The foam is less dramatic. The scalp is far happier.

2. Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES)

SLES is SLS's slightly gentler cousin — mildly milder on skin, but still alkaline and still stripping. The difference between SLS and SLES is marginal. Neither belongs in a shampoo that claims to care about scalp health. We've excluded both.

3. Parabens (in any form)

Methylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, ethylparaben. These synthetic preservatives extend a product's shelf life cost-effectively. They're also suspected endocrine disruptors — compounds that can interfere with the body's hormonal system. The debate is ongoing, and the concentrations used in cosmetics are generally considered below harmful thresholds. But 'probably fine' is not the standard Reytha holds itself to. We use alternative preservation systems that don't raise the same questions.

4. Formaldehyde and Formaldehyde Releasers

DMDM Hydantoin, Imidazolidinyl Urea, Diazolidinyl Urea, Quaternium-15 — these preservatives slowly release small amounts of formaldehyde in the bottle to prevent bacterial growth. Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen and a significant allergen. The amounts released are generally considered below harmful thresholds in cosmetic use. We still won't use them. Safer preservation alternatives exist. We use those.

5. Artificial Dyes and Synthetic Colourants

FD&C Red 40. Blue 1. Yellow 5. These synthetic dyes give shampoos their distinctive colours — the pearlescent pink, the bright blue, the green of 'freshness'. None of them serve any hair or scalp function. They exist for aesthetics and brand differentiation on a shelf. Some are associated with scalp sensitisation in susceptible individuals. We don't use them. Our products have the colour of their ingredients — which is to say, close to clear.

6. Synthetic Musks (Galaxolide, Tonalide)

Synthetic musks are a class of fragrance compounds used in personal care products for their long-lasting, lingering scent profile. They're also persistent environmental pollutants — they accumulate in body fat, have been detected in human breast milk, and do not biodegrade easily in waterways. We use naturally-derived fragrance compounds that biodegrade predictably. The scent profile is different. The environmental footprint is significantly lower.

7. Triclosan and Triclocarban

Broad-spectrum antimicrobials used in antibacterial soaps and some hair care products. Both have been restricted or banned in several countries due to documented endocrine disruption concerns and their contribution to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The US FDA banned triclosan from consumer soaps in 2016. India has not formally banned it. We have. Our antimicrobial action comes from Rosemary Extract and Coconut Oil — plant-derived actives with well-documented antimicrobial properties and none of the regulatory red flags.

8. Polyethylene Glycols (PEGs and their derivatives)

PEG compounds (PEG-4, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, and dozens of others) are used as humectants, emulsifiers, and penetration enhancers in cosmetics. The concern with PEGs is twofold: they are petroleum-derived, and the manufacturing process can contaminate them with 1,4-dioxane — a probable carcinogen that is not required to be listed on ingredient labels because it's a manufacturing byproduct, not an intentional ingredient. We avoid PEGs and use plant-derived alternatives for the same formulation functions.

9. Silicone Build-Up Agents (Dimethiconol, Amodimethicone at high concentrations)

This one requires nuance. Reytha does use Dimethicone in our formula — at a low concentration in a rinse-off shampoo, where it functions as a lightweight conditioning agent that washes out cleanly. What we avoid are the heavier, higher-molecular-weight silicones (Dimethiconol, Amodimethicone) used in leave-on products and high-concentration rinse-off formulas that create progressive build-up on the hair and scalp over weeks of use. Build-up dulls hair, clogs follicles, and creates dependency. Our Dimethicone is functional and rinse-clean. Heavy silicone build-up agents are off our list.

10. Unsubstantiated Claims

This last one isn't an ingredient — but it might be the most important item on the list. Reytha will not make claims we cannot substantiate. 'Clinically proven', 'dermatologist tested', 'grows hair 3x faster' — these phrases are marketing language that means different things on different products. We will not use them unless we have the specific clinical evidence to back them.

What we will say: our products are plant-based (they are), sulphate-free (they are), paraben-free (they are), pH-balanced (they are), manufactured in India under licence (they are), and formulated with botanicals that have scientific evidence for the benefits we claim. That's enough. We don't need to exaggerate.

Why This Matters for Every Category Reytha Enters

As Reytha expands into baby care, home care, body care, and skin care, these ten commitments travel with us. Every new category means new formulation decisions — and in every one of them, these items stay off the list.

Building trust in a new brand is slow work. The fastest way to destroy it is to compromise on the values you announced on day one. We won't.

This is the Reytha promise. In writing. On the blog. Where you can always come back and hold us to it.