# About Baresel — a shampoo you read backwards

> The story behind Baresel — a shampoo defined by what it leaves out, built for people who keep getting caught out by cocamidopropyl betaine hidden in "gentle" shampoos.

Baresel started with a frustration people kept describing the same way: they did everything right — switched to a "gentle," sulfate-free, natural shampoo — and their scalp still itched, stung, or flaked. Then they read the label, and there it was: cocamidopropyl betaine (CAPB), one of the most common causes of a shampoo reaction (the American Contact Dermatitis Society named it Allergen of the Year in 2004).

The shampoos that did leave CAPB out were usually clinical, stripping formulas — they solved the allergen but left hair dry and tight. So the honest gap was obvious: a shampoo that is genuinely CAPB-free AND genuinely gentle. Baresel is built backwards from the exclusion list, then adds back only mild amino-acid and glucoside cleansers, glycerin and panthenol.

## What we stand on
- **Defined by subtraction** — the product is the exclusion (CAPB, sulfates, MI/MCI, fragrance).
- **Radical ingredient transparency** — the full intended INCI is published; if a cleanser is coconut-derived, we say so.
- **Cosmetic, never clinical claims** — we describe composition and gentleness, never "treats" or "cures".
- **Gentle shouldn't mean drying** — mild cleansers plus glycerin and panthenol.

## What Baresel is not
- A treatment for an allergy or scalp condition — it's a cosmetic shampoo, no medical claims.
- A "coconut-free" guarantee — several gentle cleansers are coconut-derived; Baresel is CAPB-free with full transparency, not coconut-free.
- A hypoallergenic promise — read the full list and patch-test.

Baresel is a cosmetic shampoo and makes no medical claims. A contact allergy is a medical matter — if you have a diagnosed allergy or scalp condition, speak with a healthcare professional.