Review (5/5): Nice shampoo, but contains synthetic fragrance
I rate the unscented version of this fragrance five stars. It lathers and rinses well (I tried it out not only on my baby, but also on myself, to test it on long, thick hair). It leaves hair fairly manageable, even without additional use of a conditioner. It does have a noticeable soapy smell, but it's not unpleasant. Best nontoxic shampoo I've found for my baby thus far. (We also got the Earth Mama Angel Baby Non-Scents shampoo, but it didn't leave baby's hair feeling manageable, and my husband also thought it left his hair smelling like vomit.)
HOWEVER, parents of babies with sensitive skin please note that the scented versions contain SYNTHETIC FRAGRANCE (or at least the pear scent does). I wrote to the manufacturer to inquire about it, and the below is the reply that I got. I thought it was pretty sketchy that the manufacturer did not disclose this in the product description (and in fact includes misleading information - saying the product is 100% plant-based, and only that "Aroma May Contain Fruit Extracts or Fruit Oils"). Our baby has sensitive skin and a history of eczema, so we got the unscented version, with which we've been very pleased. Just wanted to sure in case this is helpful for other parents of babies with sensitive skin.
------------
Reply From Paradise Island Organics customer service, 3/14/14:
"I heard back about the Pear Scent from the manufacturers. The Pear scent is synthetic and does not contain any real pears. The pear fruit does produce an essential oil, however, it takes 20 tons of pears to produce about 3 ounces of essential oil, which is why it is not available to purchase. But, the synthetic pear scent we use is free of phthalates, parabens, nitro musk, sulfates, glycols, petrochemicals, formaldehyde or formaldehyde releasing agents. Using pear extract or flavor is an option we are looking into for the future, but it depends on how strong the extract or flavor is on how well it holds the scent in personal care products. Some particular fruits hold the scent much better than other fruits. But, we will certainly look into having our chemist test it to see if the pear extract or flavor scent would hold well in our shampoo for the future.
If you have any more questions, let me know and I'd be happy to help.
Have a good weekend!
Sincerely,
Camille Scott
Sweet Baby Shampoo"