red
P-Phenylenediamine
Active dye in most permanent hair colours. Severe contact allergen.
Krasteva et al. Contact Dermatitis 2009
Low Tox Gear · Scanner
Schwarzkopf Live Colour Hair Dye Deep Black Semi Permanent each
Is Schwarzkopf Live Colour Hair Dye Deep Black Semi Permanent each low tox? Our scanner flagged 5 ingredients (1 in the avoid tier, 4 caution) on its published label, screened against our 237 source-cited chemical rules.
1 avoid4 caution
5 ingredients flagged
What we flagged
amber
Alcohol PEG
Manufacturing process can leave 1,4-dioxane (probable carcinogen) and ethylene oxide as contaminants. Look for 'vacuum-stripped' products.
amber
Methylparaben
Weakly oestrogenic preservatives. Endocrine concerns particularly relevant for hormonal conditions.
amber
Phenoxyethanol
Preservative — generally well-tolerated but documented as MCAS and contact-dermatitis trigger in sensitive individuals.
amber
Basic Yellow 5
Implicated in childhood hyperactivity (Southampton study) and MCAS reactions.
Full ingredients (from label)
INGREDIENTS:Aqua Cetearyl Alcohol Coconut Alcohol PEG-8 Ceteareth-12 Ceteareth-20 HC Blue No. 12 PEG-40 Castor Oil Phenoxyethanol Hydroxyethylcellulose Methylparaben Parfum Panthenol HC Blue No. 16 HC Yellow No. 2 Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil NN'-Bis(2-Hydroxyethyl)-2-Nitro -p-Phenylenediamine Propylparaben Sodium Hydroxide Acid Violet 43 Basic Yellow 57 Basic Brown 17 Linalool.
How this analysis is generated
Each ingredient on this product's published label is matched against our 237 source-cited chemical rules, each documenting a concern from peer-reviewed research and regulatory sources. Severity tiers:
- Avoid (red) — banned or restricted in the EU, UK or Canada but still legal in the US, IARC-listed, or strong contact-allergen evidence.
- Caution (amber) — regulatory caution, contamination risk, or condition-specific irritant.
- Mild (green) — low concern but commonly avoided in low-tox formulations.
Each flag links to its primary chemical-level source, and each condition pill links to a PubMed-indexed paper that discusses the chemical class in the context of that condition. Every citation is a real peer-reviewed paper — we don't link to Wikipedia or PubMed search pages. Some pairs use a topically-broad paper (e.g. a fragrance-allergen patch-test review) rather than a single-pair study where the literature is thin. The full evidence chain (chemical → mechanism → condition → paper) is one click away.
This is automated analysis of a published label, not medical advice — always verify the label yourself before changing products. Methodology and source list at scan.lowtoxgear.com.