Kitsch is a unique shampoo brand that sells bars that resemble soap as opposed to liquid shampoo. The company sells shampoos for hair growth, toning and more. 

But does Kitsch shampoo contain research-backed ingredients for improving hair quality? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? How do the brand's formulations compare to other popular shampoo brands? And which Kitsch shampoo works the best?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of Kitsch’s most popular shampoos to give our take on whether or not they're likely to be effective for improving hair quality, and whether or not they're healthy.

We'll also compare Kitsch to other shampoo brands to give our take on which is the best option.

Key takeaways:

• Both shampoo bars reviewed contain ingredients that can improve hair quality
• Both contain fragrance, which we consider potentially unhealthy
• We do not currently recommend Kitsch

Kitsch Rice Water Shampoo Review

The ingredients in Kitsch Rice Water Shampoo Bar for Hair Growth are shown below:

Glycerin has a natural anti-dandruff effect according to a clinical trial published in the Skinmed journal.

Castor oil has been shown in some clinical trials to improve hair shine, according to a 2022 medical review.

Hydrolyzed rice protein may promote hair growth based on early research documented in a 2022 meta-study.

Iron oxide is clinically shown to be a penetration enhancer, meaning it can increase absorption of other active ingredients in a formulation, making them more effective.

Fragrance is the only ingredient that we consider potentially questionable from a health perspective.

As we documented in our Hairitage review article on another shampoo brand, fragranced consumer products may pose a health risk according to one well-cited medical review.

Kitsch claims that their fragrance is “Natural fragrance derived from plants,” but without knowing the specific chemical compounds used, we can’t share our thoughts on their safety.

Overall, we consider Kitsch Rice Water Shampoo Bar likely to improve hair quality and appearance, but we don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of fragrance.

Kitsch Castor Oil Shampoo Review

The ingredients in Kitsch Castor Oil Shampoo Bar are shown below:

This formulation is nearly identical to the Rice Water formulation. 

In fact, both contain castor oil, so the product name is differentiated for marketing purposes.

Ultramarine is a term for a naturally-derived colorant, which is a healthier choice than artificial dye.

Given that this shampoo doesn't contain rice protein, which is clinically shown to support hair growth, we consider it to be the worse of the two formulations.

Like the Rice Water shampoo bar, Castor Oil Shampoo Bar also contains fragrance, so we don't currently recommend it.

Is Kitsch Really Eco-Friendly?

One huge benefit of Kitsch over other shampoo brands in our opinion is their environmentally-friendly packaging.

Packaging products in cardboard, without any plastic, reduces single-use plastic waste that ends up in our oceans, and a YouTube video from the "Insider Business" channel shows how production of plastic-free shampoo really works:

Kitsch vs. Popular Shampoo Brands

Here's how Kitsch stacks up against other popular shampoo brands in terms of formulation quality and healthiness in our opinion:

Monday

Beyond fragrance, this shampoo brand also contains other inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy (like synthetic preservatives clinically shown to be toxic to human cells).

Also packaged in plastic, making it a worse pick from an environmental perspective.

Winner: Kitsch

Humby Organics

Another highly popular bar shampoo brand, Humby Organics has similarly-effective active ingredients to Kitsch.

Humby Organics also contains fragrance, as we documented in our Humby Organics reviews article.

Winner: Tie

Function of Beauty

Fewer active ingredients with research backing than Kitsch.

Worse formulation from a health perspective than Kitsch (multiple inactive ingredients we take issue with).

Winner: Kitsch

Our Clean Hair Care Picks

Acure Vivacious Volume Shampoo is our top shampoo pick.

It contains argan oil which is clinically shown to help protect hair from damage.

Ritual HyaCera is our top hair growth supplement.

This supplement contains wheat oil extract, and a 2024 clinical trial reported that a wheat lipid complex had "a reducing effect on hair shedding and a stimulating effect on hair reappearance and growth."

Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.

Kitsch Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Affordable
• Should improve hair quality
• Should improve hair apperance
• Environmentally-friendly
• Dye-free
• Simple formulations
• Highly positive online customer reviews

Cons:

• Contains fragrance

Conclusion

We appreciate how environmentally-friendly Kitsch shampoo bars are, and for that reason alone this brand will resonate with some consumers.

Kitsch shampoo contains fragrance, so even though the brand claims this fragrance is naturally-derived, we don't currently recommend these products.

Without knowing what specific chemical compounds are used for the fragrance, we can't make an assessment of safety.

Kitsch shampoo bars are likely to improve hair quality and appearance because they contain multiple research-backed active ingredients.

We appreciate this brand's simple formulations and affordable prices.

We consider Kitsch to be a better-formulated shampoo than popular brands Monday Shampoo and Function of Beauty, but equivalent to shampoo bar brand Humby Organics.