L'Oréal Professionnel Absolut Repair Protein Treatment Hair Mask Versus Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Hair Masque

L'Oréal Professionnel Absolut Repair Protein Treatment Hair Mask Versus Shea Moisture Coconut & Hibiscus Hair Masque

What's inside

Key Ingredients

No key ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

Water

Cetearyl Alcohol

Behentrimonium Chloride

Euphorbia Cerifera Cera

Amodimethicone

Cetyl Esters

Isopropyl Alcohol

Glycerin

Phenoxyethanol

Trideceth-6

Linalool

Lactic Acid

Hexyl Cinnamal

Chlorhexidine Digluconate

Cetrimonium Chloride

Limonene

Sodium Hydroxide

Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract

Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein

CI 19140

CI 15985

Parfum

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Euphorbia Cerifera Cera, Amodimethicone, Cetyl Esters, Isopropyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Trideceth-6, Linalool, Lactic Acid, Hexyl Cinnamal, Chlorhexidine Digluconate, Cetrimonium Chloride, Limonene, Sodium Hydroxide, Chenopodium Quinoa Seed Extract, Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, CI 19140, CI 15985, Parfum

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Butyrospermum Parkii Butter

Stearyl Alcohol

Cetyl Alcohol

Behentrimonium Methosulfate

Cocos Nucifera Oil

Panthenol

Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice

Hydroxyethylcellulose

Sodium Benzoate

Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil

Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil

Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract

Tocopherol

Hydrolyzed Soy Protein

Triethyl Citrate

Caprylyl Glycol

Benzoic Acid

Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Glycerin, Butyrospermum Parkii Butter, Stearyl Alcohol, Cetyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Methosulfate, Cocos Nucifera Oil, Panthenol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cocos Nucifera Fruit Juice, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Sodium Benzoate, Melia Azadirachta Seed Oil, Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract, Tocopherol, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Triethyl Citrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Benzoic Acid, Parfum

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Alternatives

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

This ingredient is a preservative and often used for it's anti-static properties. You'll most likely see this ingredient in hair conditioners.

It does not cause irritation or sensitization in leave-on products at 1-5%.

Cetearyl alcohol is a waxy mixture of two fatty alcohols: cetyl alcohol and stearyl alcohol. It is an emollient and emulsifier.

Despite having "alcohol" in its name, it has nothing to do with drying solvent alcohols; the FDA also allows "alcohol-free" products to contain fatty alcohols like this ingredient.

It plays several roles in a formula:

Typical use levels for this ingredient sit around 1-10% and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel has affirmed safety at concentrations up to 25% in leave-on products.

Multiple assessments have found it to be non-irritating and non-sensitizing to most people.

However, there have been some cases of allergic contact dermatitis in patients with chronically compromised skin barriers.

Cetearyl alcohol has a comedogenic rating of 2 and irritancy rating of 1. Both of these numbers come from the 1989 study that used rabbit ears; a "2" means mildly comedogenic and a "1" means low irritancy.

Here's the catch: rabbit skin is more sensitive than human skin and throws a lot of false positives. A 1996 reappraisal found that ingredients rated 1-2 in the rabbit ear tests are generally safe for humans.

Remember comedogenic ratings are unable to assess the entire formula of a product or how it will react on your skin. Just be sure to patch test if you are unsure about certain ingredients.

This ingredient is not fungal acne safe. Cetearyl alcohol is a fatty alcohol with chain lengths that fall within the range that Malassezia can metabolize.

A 2019 study has also observed Malassezia growth in the presence of this ingredient, confirming it to be not-fungal acne safe.

Glycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.

Topically, glycerin does several things at once:

Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.

Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.

This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.

Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.

Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Water. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.

So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.

You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!

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