Vanicream Shampoo (formerly Free & Clear Shampoo)

1. Ingredients 45% of the rating 3 of 5

   Fifteen named ingredients with plant-derived sugar and amino-acid cleansers and no fragrance, sulfates or flagged preservatives, but a synthetic acrylates polymer, EDTA and three glycol-type preservative boosters are more than a short list.

2. Independent testing 15% of the rating 1 of 5

   No outside group lists this shampoo (the National Eczema Association lists eight other Vanicream products) and we found no independent test for 1,4-dioxane, heavy metals or PFAS.

3. Does what it says 10% of the rating 4 of 5

   The claims (fragrance-free, sulfate-free, no formaldehyde releasers, pH balanced) can be read off the ingredient list or are modest, and it promises no hair-loss or skin-treatment effects.

4. Trust 15% of the rating 4 of 5

   No recall or Prop 65 notice, and an ingredient list that matches Target’s; a 2016 class action over its sunscreen’s SPF label, which ended in 2018, is the one mark against the brand.

5. Value 15% of the rating 5 of 5

   About $0.92 an ounce, a low price for a fragrance-free shampoo.

The rating, 3.3 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank personal care and our standard.

• Target (opens in a new tab) approx. $10.99 for 12 fl oz. Target’s page showed $10.99 on 2026-10-23, marked down from $12.99. Its ingredient list matches Vanicream’s and adds “disodium cocoyl glutamate (may contain this ingredient)”.
• Walmart (opens in a new tab) approx. $15.96. 12 fl oz, sold by iHerb on Walmart’s marketplace, so a third-party seller at a higher price than Target. Its ingredient text also lists disodium cocoyl glutamate.

Prices as we saw them on October 23, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.

1. Water
2. Lauryl glucoside
3. Coco-glucoside
4. Acrylates copolymer
5. Sodium cocoyl glutamate
6. Sodium cocoyl glycinate
7. Glycerin
8. Sucrose cocoate
9. Panthenol
10. Pentylene glycol
11. 1,2-Hexanediol
12. Disodium EDTA
13. Caprylyl glycol
14. Sodium hydroxide
15. Sodium chloride

Why is it missing from the National Eczema Association directory?

The directory (opens in a new tab) lists eight Vanicream products, including the Moisturizing Cream, but not this shampoo. A listing needs a voluntary, paid application, so absence means the shampoo has had no outside review, not that it failed one.

Do other reviewers rate it?

Mamavation’s 2023 shampoo guide (opens in a new tab) lists the shampoo, under its old Free & Clear name, among its “best” shampoos. That is an ingredient review by a site that earns affiliate income, and the guide describes no lab test.

Is it really sulfate-free and fragrance-free?

The ingredient list (opens in a new tab) has no sulfate, fragrance, essential oil or botanical extract. The cleansers are lauryl glucoside, coco-glucoside, sodium cocoyl glutamate and sodium cocoyl glycinate. Fragrance-free is a maker claim we can check only against the list.

What are the synthetic ingredients?

Acrylates copolymer is a synthetic thickener and disodium EDTA is a chelating agent. Neither is on our avoid list. Pentylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol and caprylyl glycol help preserve the formula; Vanicream says it uses no formaldehyde releasers.

Has Vanicream faced lawsuits or recalls?

A 2016 class action (Top Class Actions (opens in a new tab)) said Vanicream’s SPF 50+ sunscreen tested at SPF 17 in a Consumer Reports test. It concerned a sunscreen, not this shampoo. The court denied class certification in 2018 and dismissed the plaintiff’s case after a settlement that November (docket (opens in a new tab)). The FDA’s recall database has no records for the maker, and we found no Prop 65 notice.

• The maker’s page lists 15 ingredients. The cleansers are lauryl glucoside, coco-glucoside, sodium cocoyl glutamate and sodium cocoyl glycinate, which are the mild, non-sulfate type our shampoo guide points to.
• Vanicream calls it “fragrance free” with “no botanical extracts or essential oils”, and the list shows none. It also says the formula has no formaldehyde releasers, and none is listed.
• It is about $0.92 an ounce at Target, a fraction of the price of most dermatologist-brand fragrance-free shampoos.
• The company, Pharmaceutical Specialties, Inc., says it has made products since 1974 to drug-quality manufacturing standards and is inspected by the FDA.

• No independent review or test found. The shampoo is not in the National Eczema Association directory, which lists eight other Vanicream products. MADE SAFE’s index and EWG’s Verified directory have no Vanicream listing.
• The list includes acrylates copolymer, a synthetic polymer used as a thickener, and disodium EDTA, plus glycol-type preservative boosters (pentylene glycol, 1,2-hexanediol, caprylyl glycol). Target’s page adds a note that the formula “may contain” disodium cocoyl glutamate.
• Vanicream renamed this shampoo. Older bottles and some listings still say “Free & Clear”.
• Without fragrance, the shampoo takes on the smell of its ingredients, which Vanicream says is true of all its products.

1. Vanicream Shampoo product page. Maker’s page. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
2. Target listing: Vanicream Shampoo for Sensitive Skin, 12 fl oz. Independent source. Price and label info as shown by the retailer. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
3. National Eczema Association product directory, search for “vanicream”. Certifier or regulator listing. Shows eight Vanicream products. The shampoo is not among them. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
4. Mamavation: best non-toxic shampoo and conditioner (2023). Independent source. An ingredient-based list, not a lab test. Says the post contains affiliate links. Lists Free & Clear Shampoo (now Vanicream) as “best”. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
5. Vanicream: our story. Maker’s page. Says the company was founded in 1974, makes products to drug-quality standards and is inspected by the FDA. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
6. Top Class Actions: Vanicream class action alleges deceptive SPF on sunscreen (2016). Independent source. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
7. FDA enforcement (recall) search for Pharmaceutical Specialties (openFDA). Certifier or regulator listing. Returns “No matches found”: no recall records. Searched 2026-10-23. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
8. California Prop 65 60-day notice search: Vanicream. Certifier or regulator listing. No matching records, and none under the maker’s legal name, Pharmaceutical Specialties, Inc. Searched 2026-10-23. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
9. EWG Verified directory: search for “Vanicream”. Certifier or regulator listing. Returned no Vanicream products on 2026-10-22, when it was read in a browser. EWG blocks automated requests, so we could not search it again. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
10. CourtListener: Quinonez v. Pharmaceutical Specialties, Inc. (C.D. Cal. 2:16-cv-05966). Certifier or regulator listing. Filed 2016-08-10 over the SPF 50+ sunscreen. Class certification denied 2018-08-30; dismissed after a settlement 2018-11-27. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
11. Walmart listing: Vanicream Shampoo for Sensitive Skin, 12 fl oz. Independent source. $15.96, sold by iHerb, on 2026-10-23. Ingredient text includes disodium cocoyl glutamate. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

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