Raw Sugar Shampoo is a shampoo brand that claims to be made with “cold pressed extracts” that deliver “moisturizing love” to the hair. The company has beautiful branding, and their products are priced relatively affordably for a luxury shampoo brand.
But does Raw Sugar Shampoo contain ingredients proven in medical research to be effective for improving hair quality and moisturizing hair and the scalp? Does it contain any questionable additive ingredients? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Raw Sugar Shampoo?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review the ingredients in Raw Sugar Shampoo based on clinical research to give our take on whether or not the products are likely to be effective.
We’ll highlight some questionable additive ingredients, explain the cheapest place to buy Raw Sugar Shampoo and share real, unsponsored user reviews of the product.
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredient list above is from The Moisture Smoothie Shampoo, “Coconut + Agave + Sweet Almond Milk” scent.
This shampoo does contain a number of effective, botanical active ingredients.
Shea butter is a moisturizing ingredient that has anti-aging effects, according to a medical review published in the Molecules journal.
Coconut oil is one of the most effective natural ingredients for reducing hair damage. A 2003 medical review described coconut oil as reducing hair damage “remarkably.”
Jojoba oil is another effective plant oil which is clinically shown to improve hair fiber and improve hair breakage resistance, as we documented in our Routine wellness shampoo review article.
Almond oil was shown to protect hair against UV damage in a medical review published in the International Journal of Trichology.
Unfortunately, while this shampoo contains a number of effective plant-based ingredients, it also contains a few ingredients that health-conscious consumers may wish to avoid.
Fragrance has questionable health effects, and a medical review on fragranced consumer products concluded by suggesting these products can cause “serious risks to human health.”
Phenoxyethanol and benzyl alcohol are synthetic preservatives, the former of which was shown to be toxic to human cells in a 2020 clinical trial.
Overall we consider Raw Sugar Shampoo to be likely effective for improving hair quality and moisturizing the scalp, due to its research-backed active ingredients, however we don’t recommend the brand due to the inclusion of fragrance and two preservatives.
And it’s not just this one product or scent – all of the Raw Sugar Shampoo products and scents we surveyed contained fragrance and phenoxyethanol.
Real, Unsponsored User Reviews of Raw Sugar Shampoo
A YouTube creator named Sharese Nicole reviewed Raw Sugar shampoo and conditioner and shared before-and-after images of her hair:
A TikTok user named Kait McCassie shows what her hair looks like in the morning after using Raw Sugar Shampoo, and recommends the brand:
@kaitmccassie Part 2 immediate thoughts dry in the AM. #rawsugarmademebuyit #rawsugar #rawsugarreview #rawsugarshampoo ♬ original sound - Kait McCassie
Where to Buy Raw Sugar Shampoo for the Best Price
Raw Sugar Shampoo is sold online at a variety of retailers. Here’s a price breakdown of the price-per-bottle (including bulk discounts):
Brand website: $11.99 (link)
Target: $9.99 (link)
Walmart: $9.97 (link)
Amazon: $9 (link to official Amazon listing)
Amazon is currently the only retailer offering a bulk discount, and the price of Raw Sugar Shampoo is 25% cheaper on Amazon than on the brand’s website. However this price is only available for The Moisture Smoothie shampoo.
Consumers seeking other products from Raw Sugar Shampoo should check either Target or Walmart.
Real Customer Reviews of Raw Sugar Shampoo
Amazon is a more objective resource for customer reviews than a brand’s website in our opinion. The most-reviewed product from the brand on Amazon is a two-pack of The Moisture Smoothie, which has been reviewed over 350 times with an average review rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named “Krista” who claims that the shampoo has a better experience than most commercial shampoos:
“I would usually have to wash my hair twice with other shampoos to get it to suds up, but this shampoo hasn’t failed me yet and suds up every time in the first wash! Love the thick conditioner too, makes my hair very soft and smells great. It covers my hair with little product and gets into all my fine, but lots of hair no problem!”
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named “Amy Vazquez” who claims that the brand is not good for those with thicker hair:
“Not for long or thick hair. It does not condition well, and I often find myself having to use shampoo and conditioner from different brands to finish cleaning. The conditioner is horrendously thick. I could honestly decorate a cake with it, and trying to squeeze it out of the bottle is going to give me carpal tunnel syndrome. Not worth the money, not worth the time and struggle.”
What About Other Raw Sugar Products?
A YouTube creator named “ashmarie fitness” reviewed a number of Raw Sugar products in an unsponsored review, including conditioner, lotion, shampoo, soap and more:
Our Clean Hair Care Picks
Acure Vivacious Volume Shampoo is our top shampoo pick, and only costs $7.49 at the time of updating this article.
This shampoo is formulated with effective and non-toxic plant-based compounds like aloe vera juice and argan oil. It also contains rosemary leaf oil which was shown in a clinical trial published in the Phytotherapy Research journal to promote hair growth.
Happy Head Topical is our top hair growth solution.
This formulation uses FDA-approved hair loss ingredients like minoxidil which is clinically shown to increase hair count by 11%.
The brand also publishes the percentage concentration of each active ingredient, which is a sign of quality and transparency.
