Humby Organics is a hair care company that also sells some personal care products like deodorant and soap. The company is best-known for its shampoo bars.

But does Humby Organics shampoo contain research-backed ingredients for hair quality? Does it contain any unhealthy ingredients? Is it really more eco-friendly than traditional shampoo? And is Humby Organics better or worse than popular shampoo bar brands like Kitsch?

In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Humby Organics shampoo bars to give our take on whether or not they're likely to improve hair quality, and whether or not they're healthy.

We'll also share our thoughts on the brand's eco-friendliness, and compare Humby Organics to other popular shampoo bar brands, in terms of healthiness, to pick our winners (and losers).

Key takeaways:

• Contains research-backed active ingredients for hair health
• Contains fragrance
• We do not currently recommend Humby Organics

Ingredient Analysis

The ingredients in Purple Rain Shampoo Bar are shown below:

image source: humbyorganics.com

It's notable that the brand name is Humby Organics, but none of the ingredients are listed as organic.

Some of the active ingredients in this blend have research backing for hair and scalp health.

Olive oil may support hair growth when applied topically, at least according to a 2015 animal study.

Coconut oil is clinically shown to protect hair from protein loss, as we documente in our review of hair care brand Cantu.

This suggests that coconut oil can protect hair from damage.

Shea butter has anti-inflammatory and skin barrier repair effects, according to a 2018 medical review, which suggests it may support optimal scalp health.

Our main concern about this formulation is the use of a "natural fragrance blend."

Essential oils are listed separately, so we're unclear what's actually in this fragrance blend.

A 2016 meta-study examined the safety of fragranced consumer products, including personal care products, and concluded:

“Everyday fragranced products can impose serious risks to human health.”

Overall, we consider Humby Organics Purple Rain Shampoo Bar somewhat likely to improve hair quality and appearance, however we don't currently recommend this product or brand due to the inclusion of fragrance.

Is Humby Organics Eco-Friendly?

One aspect where Humby Organics really shines is the eco-friendliness of both the products and the packaging:

image source: humbyorganics.com

Shampoo bars are significantly better for the environment than liquid shampoo packaged in plastic, because single-use plastic pollution is a "major concern" to natural ecosystems, according to a 2021 medical review.

Humby Organics bars appear to be packaged in plastic-free packaging.

We do not consider Humby Organics to be "greenwashing," and for consumers interested in eco-friendly products as their primary purchase consideration, we think Humby Organics is a good choice.

Humby Organics vs. Popular Shampoo Bars

Here's how Humby Organics compares to other popular shampoo bar brands in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:

Kitsch

Contains some research-backed active ingredients for hair health like castor oil, which is clinically shown to enhance hair luster.

Very similar formulations to Humby Organics; some research-backed active ingredients in bar format, but also contains fragrance.

Winner: Tie

Viori

Viori shampoo bars contain one more active ingredient we could find research backing to support.

For this reason, Viori has a (slight) advantage from a potential efficacy standpoint.

Winner: Viori

The Unscented Company

This brand sells fragrance-free shampoo bars, as one would expect from their brand name.

Since fragrance is the key questionable ingredient in Humby Organics, we give The Unscented Company an edge from a health perspective.

Winner: The Unscented Company

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.

Humby Organics Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Eco-friendly
• Plastic-free packaging
• May improve hair quality
• May improve scalp health
• Healthier than traditional drugstore shampoo

Cons:

• Brand fails to publish full ingredient lists
• Less healthy than some competitors
• Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
  
• "Fragrance blend" without disclosing ingredients in blend
  

Conclusion

We're always glad to see shampoo bar brands entering the market because of the eco-friendliness of this category of personal care products.

However, we don't currently recommend Humby Organics shampoo bars for two reasons.

First, the brand fails to publish a full ingredient list on the majority of their shampoo bar product pages at the time of publishing this article.

Second, even on the product page we could locate with an ingredient list, the term "natural fragrance blend" is used which fails to describe the component ingredients.

If Humby Organics published a full ingredient list for their unscented bar shampoo, we would likely consider that to be the healthiest option, but there is no ingredient list at the time of publishing.

We consider Viori and The Unscented Company to have healthier shampoo bars than Humby Organics, and Kitsch to have equivalent formulations.