How Kerastase Kills Your Cash
Lauren’s on the lookout: I’ve been wanting to try Kerastase hair products for quite some time now, but they are so overpriced. What about these products make it so such more expensive than most others? Are there any cheaper shampoos, conditioner and masks that perform similarly but for a cheaper price?
The Right Brain responds:
In case you haven’t read our post on “Who’s Who in the Cosmetic Industry,” Kerastase is owned by cosmetic giant L’Oreal who markets a variety of brands at different prices. Like many large companies, L’Oreal spends a lot resources developing the best possible formulas and then use those formulas across different brands. Why is Kerastase so expensive? Can you say “brand image?” You’re paying for a different fragrance, packaging and advertising but not necessarily a different formula.
High Cost
For example, look at Kerastase Nutritive Oleo-Relax Smoothing Hair Masque. A 5 ounce jar sells for $50.00 and it contains the following ingredients:
Water, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetearyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, Potato Starch Modified, Cetyl Esters, Isopropyl Alcohol, Elaeis Guinneensis Oil, Shorea Robusta / Shorea Robusta Seed Butter, prevervatives, fragrance, blah blah blah.
Low Cost
Now consider L’Oreal Vive Pro Smooth Intense Conditioning Treatment. A 6.8 ounce tube will set you back $4.99. The ingredients are remarkable similar:
Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behentrimonium Chloride, Glycerin, Amodimethicone, Potato Starch Modified, Cetyl Esters, Isopropyl Alcohol, and more blah blah blah.
Chemically speaking, these are nearly identical. They’re based on the same fatty alcohol blend and rely on behentrimonium chloride and amodimethicone for conditioning. And the potato starch is an interesting choice of thickener/emulsifier. Functionally speaking, we’d be amazed if a consumer could tell any difference between these two products.
The Beauty Brains bottom line
Does this mean ALL Kerastase formulas are the same as the cheaper L’Oreal versions? Not necessarily, but we’d take a close look at each product before spending that much cash.
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Judy Says:
I recently asked my stylist about the more expensive product lines…he said “most of them are the same old crap”…he did say that he thought Pureology was a BIT better so I bought a teeny travel size and it does smell nice but I don’t expect it to be vastly better than other cheaper brands. Keeping my expectations realistic, I guess.
My stylist also told me when you see “New and Improved” on a label it usually means that they have changed the COLOR or the FRAGRANCE not the essential ingredients.
thebeautybrains Says:
Your stylist is uncommonly knowledgeable or honest.
“New & Improved” doesn’t ALWAYS mean changes to the color and fragrance but it often means that. Every so often a company will completely change the formula (like when P&G bought Herbalessences and changed all those formulas to the Pantene formula). But mostly, you’re stylist is right.
Incidentally, Pureology isn’t much different either. They were recently bought by L’Oreal and now probably have the same base formula as something like their Vives.
It’s a good product but overpriced for what you’re getting.
lori Says:
i bought a bottle of keratsase, brought it into the drug store, and matched it against pro-vive. same exact formula. when i went to return the keratsase, the girl told me it had better ingredients - more silicones and better grade. i looked at her as if she had 3 heads. the only difference is the packaging (and of course the price!). i’ll stick with my deva-curl (where no animals were harmed to make my hair clean).
Courtney Says:
Why isn’t this illegal? It seems like these high-end brands are like the snake oil salesmen of a hundred years ago.
Lauren Says:
I know, it really should be but seeing as the whole cosmetic industry is not regulated by the FDA they do as they please. I’ve noticed Pantene has many different NAMED product lines (Hydrating Curls, Smooth and Sleek, Ice Shine) yet the same exact formula. I find it very annoying because it seems false advertising. Especially when one costs 10 times more in L’Oreal’s case..
thebeautybrains Says:
It’s not illegal because they are not lying to you. They make minor changes to the formula that don’t really effect the performance, but also change it enough so it isn’t exactly the same.
While the cosmetic industry is largely self-regulate, it’s not true that the FDA doesn’t regulate the cosmetic industry at all. There are many instances in which they do (dandruff shampoos, sunscreens, ap/do, etc.) Additionally, the cosmetic manufacturers are not allowed to lie about their products. If called on it they have to prove that what they say is not false advertising.
On some level this problem is caused by consumers. How many of you would want to buy a brand that only costs 99 cents? Most people just wouldn’t believe it’s as good as something that costs $10. The cosmetic industry is just giving people what they want. So, who’s fault is that?
Lisa Says:
I recently bought a L’oreal hair dye. It causes such a bad reaction I will never use any L’oreal product again. (And the potato starch is an interesting choice of thickener/emulsifier) this is not an interesting choice. This is a genetically modified materials choice that L’oreal/Nestle’s corp thinks is a good idea. GM foods cause severe allergic reactions in people they know that but they do not want to stop using it. They are disgusting. I will never buy another L’oreal product again.
The Beauty Brains » Blog Archive » How Pricey Products Baffle Your Brain Says:
[...] beauty products are worth the money. We’ve blogged about high priced hair lines like Alterna and Kerastase as well as prestige skin care products like IS Clinical and Cor, the worlds most expensive [...]
Diane Kirts Says:
Before you doubt a product; why don’t you try it. Just because the ingredient list matches another brands, doesn’t mean they are the same.
The Keratase products I’ve used are concentrated and superior. My salon recommends and of course, sells them. They are excellent!
gianni Says:
t true there is not too much difference between L’oreal owned products ranges. Kerastase and serie expert both sell a hairloss treatment called aminexil - different packaging - same name - the kerastase on is £20 more expensive though. It true you are buying into a brand image and the name. Although i would say the salon product L’oreal makes are far superior to the supermarket range they also put there name to El’vive, studio lines etc. But everything with a name comes a a price. Just like a item of clothing a pair of armani jeans with a £140 price tag are not going to be 7 time better than a pair from new look, but the determines that you are paying 7 times more.
Erika Says:
I am a hairstylist and have used many different Kerastase products. I have also used other L’oreal products in the past. And I can tell you the ingredients may read the same but they are not comparable. I used to work for a Kerastase Salon and got a great discount and now I pay full price like everyone else and I still use it. It is totally worth it. I am not saying its for everyone. If you are happy with what you are using don’t waste your money but I think its the best stuff on the market and I have tried many brands from many price ranges. And as for Lisa and her bad L’oreal color mishap… no offense but I don’t think, and maybe I am wrong that you have much back round in chemistry and maybe with that in mind should not be mixing chemicals and putting them on yourself. L’oreal makes a great color line for professionals and it is used in MOST high end salons around the world from all the Toni and Guys Salons to Fredrick Fekki in NYC along with many others.
ED ANGELES Says:
My name is Ed Angles from the Phils… i own the first anad only Kerastase Institute by Salon ESA in the Phils…. i am somewhat a kerastase freako… you might call me.
I know the effect of each and every line of kerastase shampoos, conditioners, intense conditioning, leave-on protectant and salon in-use treatment… i’ve tried each and every product and i swear to the effectivity each line specifically designed for each type of hair.
I must admit it is very expensive.. in the phils… a shampoo retails for about P1,075.00… which is approximately $26.20.But you can see results… the product is really very effective… and each line is made to correct the problem or give the desired results each customer or client desires.
In my case… i alternate bain gommage(the anti-dandruff shampoo) with bain prevention (shampoo to reduce the risk of hair-loss), and bain volumactive (for fine and limp hair), together with bain de force (the repair shampoo for chemically treated hair.. as i color my hair every month as i have greying hair).. and even if i dont have dandruff it is always good to use an anti-dandruff shampoo twice a week in order to exfoliate and cleanse your scalp properly… we have to understand that the scalp is an extension of our skin… and overtime.. we need to remove the dead skin cells that need to be replaced by the underlying new cells that want to show up.
Jules Says:
I have to say, I know that the Kerastase brand has similar ingredients to the other cheaper L’oreal products, but I find Kerastase FAR more effective in doing what it says on the bottle (or packet).
I used to straighten my hair every day for 3 years (and I have very thick and curly hair) and I seriously damaged my hair to what I thought was beyond repair, unless I shaved my head and grew my hair all over again.
I tried tons of products on my hair and ditched my straightening irons but nothing really stopped my hair from snapping off. I ended up spending TONS of money on lots of cheaper to middle priced products (and i’m a student living in London, so i can’t afford to waste my money)…
then my boyfriend, out of the blue, went down to the hair salon nearest to where i live and explained my situation.
He got me shampoo and conditioner from the Bain de Force Kerastase range and some treatment as well.
At first i got mad at him for wasting his money, but then when i tried it I was surprised to find that it works.
To be honest though, i would only recommend going out and buying expensive products if your hair situation is very bad.
thebeautybrains Says:
Thanks to everyone for their great comments. What you fail to realize is the power of your mind to convince you there are differences where there may be none.
We won’t be able to convince you because you’ve already decided that there is something different about Kerastase. But if you were to take a Kerastase product and a store brand L’Oreal product like the one outlined above, make them smell the same and put them in the same container, you most likely wouldn’t be able to tell a difference.
It’s a difficult thing to accept but it’s true. All people are easily fooled by product marketing. We just want to believe we are not wasting our money.
kérastase Says:
Kérastase products are really efficient and as a professional hair dresser i must say that i wouldn’t recommend any other products.
Kérastase is really awesome and you may pay a significant price but in the long term Kérastase customers are really satisfied.
Kérastase products can be also purchased online at a fair price for example at http://www.josscoiffure.com
Michelle Says:
I noticed a huge difference when I first used Kerastase products at home. My hair was soft, shinny and weightless. It is alot more, but I buy it online. I may try the pro-vive to save money, but I love the Kerastase products.
Yellowtulip Says:
I have Kerastase and Loreal Vive Pro at my house. I compared the ingredients after reading this article and past the first ingredient…they aren’t the same. Also, you can tell that it isn’t the same product not only by how different my hair feels after using each product, but also by the way they lather when you’re shampooing. I bought the Loreal Vive Pro a couple months ago and gave up on it after a couple days. The Kerastase I’m continuing to use. It gives my hair moisture and volume. My hair has never been in better condition.
Jennifer Says:
Kerastase works amazing! I had celebrity hair after using the conditioner, Ashlee Simpson swears buy it and so does Ken Paves!!! Jessica and Ashlee have gorgeous hair if you ask me and so did I after using it so i dunno…it sure works for them and me!
Left Brain Says:
Of course the product works. It’s just that you can find other products that work just as well and don’t cost as much.
kripata Says:
Well, just to counterbalance all the favourable opinions, some Kerastase products worked ok, but some were downright bad. At any rate, there is only one I would consider repurchasing (although I probably won’t - there are too many products out there I haven’t tried!).
I bought the products believing it would be the best for my hair, but didn’t even use some of them up, because they were not up to par. I really don’t know what most of you see in Kerastase.
Patty Says:
I have tried everything from Redken to Pureology. I startd using Karastase after my last color. My hair looks awesome and I will never switch. I don’t really care about the price as long as it works. It smoothes my hair shaft and leaves my hair so manageable. I say do what you want to do. It is your hair. If it works, do it!
Elisabeth Says:
L’Oreal…once again deceiving people. I am not surprised. I love their products but when they screw the ‘little’ people that want good products by making them pay outrageous prices for Kertatase when the ingredients are the same…shame on them. They should remember…a faithful customer will stay with them forever but greed seems to matter over loyalty…
amanda Says:
Without a doubt, Kerastase products are worth every penny. Even if they do have ingredient lists similar to less expensive L’Oreal products they are NOT the same. There can be a large difference in the quality of a single ingredient. It may help if you think of it like this…take an example of chocolate chip cookies. The basic ingredient list is this: flour, sweetener, fat, flavor and chocolate. That ingredient list is sufficient enough to refer to both of the following two specific recipes: the first is made with processed flour, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and chocolate chips (also containing hydrogenated something or another). This is the typical ingredient list for most cookies found in the grocery store. Or you can buy your second option made with whole wheat flours, organic cane sugar, organic hormone-free butter, vanilla (not vanilla extract), pure organic dark chocolate chips. The ingredients in the second example will have a different effect (immediately and cumulatively) than the ingredients on the first. And that’s how cosmetic ingredient lists work, they list the basic name of each component and don’t have to delve deeper to indicate the quality level of each one. So you’d have no way of knowing if it was ingredient list 1 or 2 because they would look the same.
I love Kerastase products and know from experience that they are amazing quality and do what they say they will. Regardless of price, Kerastase is one of the best lines available. But because of the price, they are definitely not for everybody and there are other fine products available at reasonable prices. Just like anything else, it is all about finding the best quality for the money you are willing to spend while still getting the end result you are looking for.