BUTTER-C
Signature ingredients
Peppermint & menthol shampoo OEM/ODM manufacturing
Peppermint & Menthol Shampoo · Signature Ingredients · OEM/ODM
The minty tingle of peppermint is familiar to Vietnamese consumers from candy and toothpaste to the “icy” shampoo bottle in a summer bathroom. Behind that feeling is menthol — a monoterpene alcohol that activates the TRPM8 cold receptor on sensory nerve endings, so the scalp feels cool while skin temperature does not drop. A peppermint & menthol shampoo therefore sells an experience: clean, oil-free hair from the cleansing system, and coolness and scent from menthol and peppermint oil (Mentha Piperita Oil, in which menthol makes up about 30–55%). The formulation challenge is that menthol barely dissolves in water and evaporates when heated; too much cooling stings the eyes and scalp; and a cooling sensation is not lowering temperature, relieving itch or controlling oil. Butter-C offers full-service OEM/ODM manufacturing, from choosing the cooling level by sensory testing and eye-irritation screening to a labeled finished product with its cosmetic product notification.
Formula base
Menthol, peppermint oil and a cleansing system that removes oil
This page differs from our herbal shampoo and men’s 2-in-1 wash pages in that peppermint is not just one scent on the list but the lead character: total menthol, how it is dissolved and the label warnings are worked out separately.
Menthol (Menthol)
A single crystalline substance, C10H20O, 156.26 g/mol; the usual form is L-menthol (CAS 2216-51-5). Water solubility about 456 mg/L at 25 °C (≈0.046%), melting point 41–43 °C, very soluble in alcohol (PubChem). Menthol is not listed in ASEAN Annexes II, III or VI; having no limit does not mean any amount is fine — safety still has to be demonstrated in the Product Information File (PIF).
Peppermint oil (Mentha Piperita Oil)
A mixture: menthol 30–55%, menthone 14–32%, menthofuran 1–8%, pulegone up to 3%… per the European Pharmacopoeia ranges quoted by EMA; the INCI is the same but every lot differs, so each lot’s COA should state menthol, pulegone and menthofuran. Cornmint (Mentha arvensis) is a different species with its own INCI — use the INCI on the COA and do not apply peppermint data to it.
Cleansing system
Sodium Laureth Sulfate with Cocamidopropyl Betaine for the icy, high-foam line; Decyl Glucoside, Coco-Glucoside with betaine for the sulfate-free line. Removing excess oil from the scalp is the job of the cleansing system, not of menthol.
Solubilizer, hair conditioning, preservation
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil or the fragrance itself to dissolve menthol and essential oil before they go into the base; Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Polyquaternium-10, Panthenol keep hair soft and easy to comb with daily washing; Sodium Benzoate or Phenoxyethanol (max 1%), Disodium EDTA.
Key technical points
Four things specific to a shampoo named after peppermint
Menthol is a small share of the formula but decides the experience, the stability and the label warning of the whole bottle.
Count total menthol from every source
Add up menthol crystals, the menthol inside the essential oil (30–55% of the oil by weight) and any mint fragrance: 0.5% peppermint oil alone already carries about 0.15–0.275% menthol. CIR (2018) raised concern that terpenoids such as menthol may be sensitizers and cautioned against cumulative exposure when several botanical ingredients in a formula share constituents; a total-menthol table sits in the formula dossier.
Pre-dissolve, add cold, keep closed
From 0.1% upward menthol exceeds its water solubility, so it is dissolved first in fragrance, a solubilizer or alcohol and only then added to the base. Plant practice (no quantitative source yet): add at the cool-down stage, keep the vessel closed to limit evaporation, watch for recrystallization in the cold. Menthol, essential oil and fragrance shift the viscosity of the cleansing system (formulation experience), so the salt curve is rebuilt once the cooling level is fixed.
Cooling is a sensation — set it by sensory testing
In Gillis (2020), 16 people had 0.1%, 2.0% or 4.13% menthol gel applied to the upper body: all three levels felt cooler than placebo, cooling may have plateaued at 2.0%, and irritation rose with concentration. That was a leave-on gel over a large area; the sources reviewed give no “standard” menthol level for shampoo. The menthol level is chosen by sensory testing of 2–3 levels in the actual base, balanced against stinging and eye sting.
Eyes, broken scalp skin, young children
Shampoo lather easily runs into the eyes; the cleansing system, menthol and essential oil all contribute to eye sting, so Butter-C screens eye irritation using the method the testing laboratory proposes and prints an eye-avoidance line. Not for use on scratched or irritated scalp. In 44 premature infants, inhaled menthol vapor (or nasal drops) was recorded to cause transient apnea or slowed breathing (Javorka 1980; limited, old data), and the EMA herbal medicine monograph contraindicates peppermint oil under 2 years of age; Butter-C recommends not using peppermint shampoo on newborns and young children (a precautionary recommendation — ASEAN texts have no specific warning).
Three formulation directions
Three ways to put peppermint in a shampoo bottle
Icy menthol shampoo, sulfate–betaine base
Menthol crystals are the main cooling source, peppermint oil gives the scent; rich foam, quick rinse, suited to men, oily scalps and hot, humid climates. The stronger the cooling, the easier it stings the eyes — cooling level is set by sensory testing and eye-irritation screening.
Gentle sulfate-free peppermint shampoo
Decyl Glucoside, Coco-Glucoside with betaine, low menthol for a light cooling feel, plenty of conditioners; “sulfate-free” can be stated as an ingredient description. The alkyl glucoside group is a recognized contact allergen, so the INCI list is complete and mildness is confirmed by tolerance testing of the finished product.
Peppermint oil as the named ingredient
No added menthol crystals: cooling and scent come from peppermint oil with a COA for every lot. The scent is rounder than menthol alone, but cooling varies with each lot’s menthol content. For EU export: menthol (EU Annex III, entry 338) and peppermint oil (entry 361) must be named in the ingredient list above 0.01% in rinse-off products under Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 — ASEAN has no such naming threshold.
Packaging is designed with the formula
Opaque bottles with tight flip caps or pumps limit evaporation of menthol and fragrance and oxidation of the essential oil over time; plastics and gaskets are soak-tested with the formula because essential oils can interact with some plastics (formulation experience).
Parameters we monitor
What our R&D lab measures on every sample
Below is the set of parameters Butter-C monitors while developing the formula and transferring it to production. Specific limits are agreed with you on the approved sample and then written into the product’s in-house specification.
- pH
- Measured at 25°C on every batch and at each stability checkpoint.
- Viscosity
- Rotational viscometer at 25°C; salt curve rebuilt after menthol, essential oil and fragrance are added.
- Clarity & cold crystallization
- Held at 4°C and through freeze–thaw cycling; checked for haze, oil film and menthol crystals at the bottom and neck of the bottle.
- Cooling intensity & scent
- Sensory sheet on a panel of testers against the reference sample; rechecked after accelerated aging because menthol and essential oil can be lost.
- Foaming
- Foam height and stability, also assessed with oil on the hair.
- Eye irritation & scalp tolerance
- Eye-irritation screening using the method the testing laboratory proposes; tolerance testing on volunteers before the cooling level is fixed.
- Essential oil COA per lot
- Correct species and INCI; menthol, pulegone and menthofuran content for the total-menthol calculation and safety assessment.
- Microbiology & preservative challenge
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; preservative efficacy (challenge) test to ISO 11930.
- Packaging compatibility
- Monitored for scent loss, plastic deformation, gasket discoloration and pump force.
Claims
Writing claims within the cosmetic scope
Menthol is also the active ingredient in some over-the-counter topical pain relievers, so the wording of peppermint shampoo marketing easily slides into drug language. A cosmetic shampoo stops at cleansing, a cooling sensation and fragrance. Butter-C reviews label and marketing wording as soon as the notification dossier is prepared.
Gives the scalp a cool, refreshing feeling
Describes a sensation; human studies show the cooling feeling is independent of skin temperature. Instead of: lowers scalp temperature, cools the body, relieves itch, reduces scalp irritation.
Cleanses hair, scalp and excess oil
The job of the cleansing system. Instead of: controls oil, reduces sebum production, balances scalp oil long term.
Cool peppermint scent
Use the correct INCI names Menthol and Mentha Piperita Oil; do not call menthol “peppermint oil” or the reverse. Instead of: “pure natural essential oil” when the formula uses menthol crystals and fragrance.
Hair is soft and easy to comb after washing
When assessed on hair tresses. Instead of: restores damaged hair.
No claims about hair growth, hair loss or dandruff
The only hair data for peppermint oil is one mouse study with 3% oil (Oh 2014), with no human trial; menthol is not an anti-dandruff active. Instead of: claims about hair growth, hair loss or an effect on dandruff.
Directions and label notes
Lather on the scalp and rinse well; keep lather out of the eyes and rinse with plenty of water if it gets in; do not use on scratched or irritated scalp; stop if burning persists; not for newborns or young children (Butter-C recommendation). Instead of: tear-free, for the whole family including babies, safe in pregnancy.
Manufacturing specifications
Capabilities
- Texture
- Clear or slightly opaque shampoo; sulfate–betaine or glucoside–betaine base; cooling from light to strong.
- Pack formats
- Opaque plastic pump or flip-cap bottles, refill pouches. Volume agreed when packaging is selected.
- Minimum order quantity
- Agreed per order and per cooling level and fragrance.
- Testing
- Tested at a GLP / ISO 17025-accredited laboratory; certificate of analysis supplied with every batch.
- Dossier
- Product Information File (PIF) and cosmetic product notification prepared by Butter-C, including the total-menthol table from every source and the essential oil COA per lot.
- Packaging
- Label design, printing and packing run in parallel with the formula.
Suggested product concept
Icy peppermint & menthol shampoo for oily scalps
One product idea to help you picture the line — not a ready-made product for sale. The actual formula is built around your brand’s positioning and price range.
Menthol and Mentha Piperita Oil
Menthol for cooling, peppermint oil for scent; level set by sensory testing of 2–3 levels and eye-irritation screening, total menthol recorded in the dossier.
Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Rich foam, removes excess oil, rinses fast; surfactant COA per lot.
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Panthenol
Hair stays tangle-free with daily washing.
400 ml opaque plastic flip-cap bottle
Tight closure limits menthol evaporation; label states eye avoidance and not for young children.
Customization options
What you can specify
The same product type can serve very different customers. Tell us what you want in each area below and our pharmacists will build the formula to match.
Cooling level
Light, medium or icy — each level is a different total menthol, set by sensory testing.
Mint source
Menthol crystals, peppermint oil or cornmint — INCI per the COA; place of origin stated only when the COA or supplier documents confirm it.
Cleansing system
With or without sulfate; decides foam, clean feel and price.
Combined functions
Peppermint with an anti-dandruff active (see the anti-dandruff shampoo page) or with salicylic acid (see the BHA salicylic shampoo page); then recheck cumulative eye sting, and note CIR (2001): menthol can enhance skin penetration of other agents.
Target users
Men, people who play sports, oily scalps; we do not make a children’s line with it.
Product set
Shampoo, conditioner and 2-in-1 body & hair wash in the same peppermint scent — total menthol and warnings recalculated for each format.
Further reading
Related knowledge
Menthol in cosmetics
TRPM8 mechanism, evidence, allergy, young children and EU export labeling (in Vietnamese).
Peppermint oil (Mentha piperita)
Lot-to-lot composition, pulegone, menthofuran and how it differs from cornmint (in Vietnamese).
Herbal shampoo OEM/ODM manufacturing
General page: peppermint is just one cooling option alongside gleditsia, pomelo peel and ginger.
Men’s body & hair wash OEM/ODM manufacturing
Peppermint in a 2-in-1 product for hair and body.
Anti-dandruff shampoo OEM/ODM manufacturing
When you need an anti-dandruff claim: restricted actives; menthol only adds a sensation.
BHA salicylic shampoo OEM/ODM manufacturing
A shampoo that cleanses away scalp flakes, ASEAN Annex III Ref 98.
Hair loss and hair breakage
Why a shampoo cannot claim to prevent hair loss or stimulate growth (in Vietnamese).
How we work
From idea to finished batch
Eight steps and three milestones signed off by both sides: approved sample, notification number, finished batch. Step-by-step details (in Vietnamese) →
Get started
Tell us about the product you plan to launch
Send us your product direction and expected volume. Our team will get back to you during business hours (Vietnam time, GMT+7).
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