Cleansing is the basic step of skin care. In doing so, we must pay attention to excessive or inappropriate cleansing, as this can disrupt skin's balance and cause subsequent side effects. Shower gels play an indispensable role in removing dirt, sebum, sweat, microorganisms, skin care product residues and dead skin cells, but they can irritate the skin and weaken its barrier function. These adverse effects are the result of protein denaturation, delipidation and change in physiological pH. Therefore, the correct choice of cleansing products is especially important for individuals with sensitive skin. A wide range of shower gels and other body cleansing products, including for sensitive skin, are available on the market. Although the indications on the packaging make it easier for customers with sensitive skin to choose, we should consider that there is still no international agreement on the criteria for determining the mildness of cosmetic products for cleaning. In our thesis, we examined the composition of 110 shower gels available in Slovenian drugstores, pharmacies and online stores. We divided them into those suitable for sensitive skin and those suitable for normal skin type. In the selected products, we inspected the ingredients that can be most problematic for sensitive skin: surfactants, preservatives, fragrances and dyes. Primary anionic surfactants, which are also the most irritating, were the most commonly present in the majority of products in both groups. Their undesirable side effects on the skin can be mitigated using secondary amphoteric and nonionic surfactants or by adding other skin care ingredients. Due to the high water content in the products, they contain preservatives; in both categories, sodium benzoate was the most common. A few products were also preservative-free, mostly for sensitive skin. Fragrances were present in more than two-thirds of the products for sensitive skin, and in all the products for normal skin. Dyes were present in only four sensitive skin products, unlike shower gels for normal skin, where almost half contained them. We then examined the moisturizers present in the products, dividing them into humectants, emollients and occlusives. Moisturizers, most of which humectants, were more frequently present in sensitive skin products. We concluded that shower gels for sensitive skin, compared to those for normal skin, have an adjusted composition and contain fewer substances that act as irritants.
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