When Vansh Gulati was prescribed a coal tar-containing shampoo for his scalp treatment, he was a bit shocked.
“Coal tar sounded a little alarming when I first saw it on the shampoo label. The word ‘tar’ brings to mind something industrial or even toxic,” he tells India Today.
Coal tar is a thick, black (or brown) liquid, a by-product of burning coal to produce coke or gas. In dermatology, it has been used for decades to treat issues like psoriasis, eczema, folliculitis, dandruff, and seborrheic dermatitis. Despite sounding industrial (which it is!), it is purified and refined before being added to medical formulations like shampoos, creams, and ointments. Coal tar shampoo is used to treat a bevy of issues like dandruff, psoriasis and seborrhoeic dermatitis.
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