Quick Beard & Hair Colour Ingredients and Safety
Beard & hair colour ingredients and safety: PPD, patch testing, and who should not use it
PPD is a chemical that makes hair and beard colour work. It is also the most common cause of allergic reactions to hair colour. Most colours sold in India contain it. Ours does too. This page explains what it is, what can go wrong, and how to test your skin before you use any colour that contains it.
What is PPD?
PPD is short for p-Phenylenediamine. You will also see it written as paraphenylenediamine or PPDA. It is a very small chemical used in almost every hair and beard colour that lasts for weeks.
How it works
Your hair has an outer layer, a bit like the skin on a fruit. For colour to last, it has to get under that layer.
PPD is small enough to slip under it. Once inside, the second part of the product, called the developer, starts a reaction. The small PPD joins with other chemicals and becomes a much bigger colour particle. That bigger particle cannot get back out through the outer layer. This is why the colour stays for two to three weeks instead of washing off in the shower.
Colours that work this way are called oxidative colours. Almost all long lasting black hair and beard colours are oxidative colours.
The trade off, in one line
PPD is small enough to get into your hair. That also means it is small enough to get into your skin. The thing that makes it work is the same thing that makes some people react to it.
What is in Rise for Men Quick Beard & Hair Color
The product has two chambers in one bottle. When you pump it, both come out together. Here is everything in each one, and what each ingredient is doing.
Chamber 1: the colourant
| Ingredient | What it does |
|---|---|
| Aqua | Water. The base of the product. |
| Propylene Glycol | Helps the other ingredients mix and stops the gel drying out. |
| Carboxy Vinyl Polymer | Thickens it into a gel so it stays where you put it. |
| Fragrance | Scent. |
| PEG-12 Dimethicone | Helps it spread smoothly through hair. |
| Monoethanolamine | Opens the outer layer of the hair so colour can get in. This does the job ammonia does in other products. |
| Phenoxyethanol | Preservative. Stops bacteria growing. |
| Disodium EDTA | Stops minerals in water from spoiling the mix. |
| p-Phenylenediamine (PPD) | The main colour chemical. This is the ingredient most people react to. |
| 3-Aminophenol | Works together with PPD to build the final colour. |
| Sodium Sulphite | Keeps the colour stable in the bottle. |
| Sodium Erythorbate | Stops the colour reacting too early. |
Chamber 2: the developer
| Ingredient | What it does |
|---|---|
| Aqua | Water. |
| Propylene Glycol | Helps things mix. |
| Carboxy Vinyl Polymer | Thickener. |
| Fragrance | Scent. |
| Hydrogen Peroxide | Starts the colour reaction. This is what turns PPD into the final colour. |
| Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate | Keeps the peroxide stable. |
| Phenoxyethanol | Preservative. |
| Disodium EDTA | Stops minerals spoiling the mix. |
| Phosphoric Acid | Controls how acidic the developer is. |
| Sodium Stannate | Keeps the peroxide from breaking down in the bottle. |
Rows marked in red are the ones worth knowing about before you buy.
What can go wrong
Two different things can happen, and people often mix them up.
1. Irritation
Your skin stings, itches or turns a bit red while the colour is on. It settles down soon after you rinse. This is uncomfortable but it is not an allergy. It happens more if your skin is already dry, cut or shaved raw.
2. An allergic reaction
This is different. Your body decides PPD is a threat and attacks it. It usually does not show up straight away. It often starts 12 to 48 hours after you use the colour.
What it looks like:
- Red, raised, itchy skin along the jaw, chin or neck
- Swelling, sometimes around the eyes
- A burning feeling
- Small blisters or weeping skin in worse cases
If any of this happens, wash the area with plain water, stop using the product, and see a doctor. Do not try another brand to see if it is better.
An allergy to PPD does not go away
Once your body reacts to PPD, it will react again. This is for life, and the reaction is often worse the second time. This is why testing before the first use matters so much. You only get one chance to find out safely.
How to do a patch test
A patch test is a small test on a hidden bit of skin to see if you react, before you put colour on your face.
Indian cosmetic rules require every hair colour containing PPD to carry a caution about skin irritation and to include patch test instructions. The rules say the test should be done before every single application, not only the first one. Most people skip it. If you only ever do one, do the first one.
- Pick your spot. Behind your ear, or the soft inner side of your forearm. Somewhere you can leave alone.
- Clean it. Wash a small patch with soap and water, or wipe it with alcohol. Let it dry fully.
- Put a little product on. Pump a very small amount, the way you would to use it normally, so both chambers come out. Dab a coin sized amount on the clean patch.
- Let it dry and leave it alone. Do not cover it. Do not wash it. Keep it dry.
- Check at 24 hours. Wash the patch gently with soap and water. Look at it closely.
- Check again at 48 hours. Some reactions are slow. If the skin is still normal at 48 hours, you can go ahead.
What counts as a reaction
Any redness, itching, swelling, small bumps, blisters or burning at the test spot. If you see any of these, do not use the product. Wash the area and speak to a doctor.
Never use this near your eyes
Do not use this or any hair colour on eyelashes or eyebrows. Indian cosmetic rules require this warning on the pack because such use can cause blindness. This product is for beard, moustache and the hair on your head only.
Who should not use this product
Do not use Quick Beard & Hair Color if any of these apply to you:
- You know you are allergic to PPD or to hair colour
- You have reacted badly to any hair or beard colour before, from any brand
- You have had a rash or blisters from a black henna tattoo
- The skin on your beard area is cut, raw, sunburnt or has a rash right now
- You have a scalp or skin condition that is currently flaring up
- Your patch test showed any reaction at all
If you are unsure, ask a doctor before you use it. It is a fifteen minute conversation that can save you a lifetime allergy.
"Ammonia free" does not mean "PPD free"
This is the most common mix up in the category, so it is worth being clear.
Ammonia has one job in hair colour. It opens the outer layer of your hair so the colour can get in. Our product does not use ammonia. It uses a different chemical for the same job, called Monoethanolamine, or MEA.
MEA does the same work with far less smell, and it does not sting your eyes and nose the way ammonia does. So "no ammonia" is true, and it is a real benefit.
But it says nothing about PPD. Ammonia and PPD are two different ingredients doing two different jobs. Taking ammonia out does not take PPD out. It does not lower your chance of an allergic reaction.
| What the label says | What it actually means |
|---|---|
| Ammonia free | Less smell, less stinging in the eyes and nose. Nothing to do with allergy risk. |
| PPD free | No p-Phenylenediamine. Check whether another related chemical, such as PTD, has been used instead. Related chemicals can cause the same reaction. |
| Natural or herbal | Has no fixed legal meaning. A product can say this and still contain PPD. Read the ingredient list. |
| Dermatologically tested | Means it was tested. It does not mean nobody reacts to it. |
| No bleach | Check for hydrogen peroxide. Most long lasting colours contain it, including ours. |
The only reliable thing to do is read the ingredient list on the back, not the claims on the front.
What your options are if you cannot use PPD
If you react to PPD, or you would rather not use it, you still have choices. None of them do exactly the same job.
| Option | Honest summary |
|---|---|
| Pure henna | No PPD. But it goes orange brown, not black, and it is hard to control on Indian hair. Be careful with anything sold as "black henna", it often has PPD added. |
| Colour that coats the hair, such as a touch up wax | No PPD. It sits on the outside of the hair instead of going inside, so it washes off. Good for a few greys, not for full coverage. Ours is the Beard Touch-Up Wax. |
| Cover up powders | No PPD. They tend to come off on hands, collars and pillows, and they show up on the skin between the hairs. |
| Other "PPD free" colours | Read the ingredients. Many use a related chemical called PTD, which can cause the same reaction in people allergic to PPD. |
| Leaving it grey | A real option, and it costs nothing. |
About our own product
Rise for Men Quick Beard & Hair Color is an oxidative colour.
It contains p-Phenylenediamine and hydrogen peroxide. The full ingredient list for both chambers is above.
Do a patch test 24 to 48 hours before your first use. If you have reacted to hair colour before, do not use it.
If PPD is not right for you, our Beard Touch-Up Wax has no PPD. It coats the hair instead of going inside it, so it washes off at the end of the day. It covers a few greys well. It is not a replacement for full grey coverage.
Common questions
Is beard colour safe to use on your face?
For most people, yes, if you patch test first and rinse it off on time. The risk is not the same for everyone. The only way to know about your own skin is a patch test 24 to 48 hours before you use it.
How common is a PPD allergy?
Most people never react. But PPD is the most common cause of allergic reactions to hair colour, and it is not rare enough to skip the test. Because the allergy is permanent once it starts, the test is worth the two days.
Can I use normal hair colour on my beard?
It will work, but the skin on your face is thinner and more sensitive than your scalp, and the product sits directly on it. If you do, patch test first and keep the time short.
How often is it safe to colour my beard?
Our product lasts two to three weeks, so most men reapply on that cycle. Do not leave it on longer than the stated time to try and get a darker result. If your skin feels sore, wait longer between uses.
I have sensitive skin. Can I use this?
Sensitive skin and a PPD allergy are not the same thing. Sensitive skin makes irritation more likely, which is uncomfortable but passes. The patch test is what tells you about allergy. If your skin reacts to many products, speak to a doctor first.
Is ammonia free colour safer?
It is gentler on your nose and eyes and has much less smell. It does not lower your chance of an allergic reaction, because the ingredient behind most reactions is PPD, not ammonia.
Do I really have to patch test every time?
Indian cosmetic rules say the test should be done before every application. In practice almost nobody does. At minimum, always test before your first ever use, and test again if you switch products or if it has been a long time since you last used one.
What do I do if I react?
Rinse the area with plain water. Do not scrub. Do not put another product on it. See a doctor, and tell them it was a hair colour containing PPD so they know what they are treating.
This page is general information, not medical advice. If you have had a reaction to hair colour, or you are not sure whether you can use it, speak to a doctor.
Ingredient lists shown here are the declared ingredients for Rise for Men Quick Beard & Hair Color. Warning and patch test requirements referenced here come from the labelling rules for cosmetics in India.