Is Philip B. Russian Amber Shampoo Worth It?

Bad Rabbi asks…I have just used a sample of Philip B. Russian Amber shampoo. It is very different…like a rubber cement. It made my hair feel and look nice. It costs $140.00 for a 12 ounce jar. Maybe as low as $95.00 on Amazon. What is in this shampoo that should make it cost so much and do the BRAINS find it so unusual and maybe even worth the high price?

The Right Brain responds:

This product is new to us, so we turned to Philip B.’s website to learn more.

Philip B. good?

According to the website the product works five ways:

1. Eleven life-giving L-Amino acids at active strengths repair hair on a cellular level — quickly restoring its body, bounce and shine.
2. An extraordinarily high dose of Panthenol (Vitamin B5) coupled with a catalyst, Phytantriol, sinks moisture deep into every strand.
3. An artful, Russian-inspired blend of Chamomile, Grape Seed, Rosemary, Nettle, Burdock and Sage infuses hair with emollients for a healthy gleam-from-within.
4. Protective Silk, Wheat and Soy Proteins increase elasticity and tensile strength.
5. Shea Butter imparts a finishing touch of weightless hydration for beautiful, long-lasting bounce and resilience.

Let’s look at the ingredients to see what’s going on.

Russian Amber shampoo ingredients

Water/Aqua, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Fragrance/Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate, PPG-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Disteareth-75 IPDI, PEG-150 Distearate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cocamide MEA, Decyl Glucoside, Sodium PCA, Sodium Lactate, Arginine, Aspartic Acid, PCA, Glycine, Alanine, Serine, Valine, Proline, Threonine, Isoleucine, Histidine, Phenylalanine, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, PEG-7 Caprylic/Capric Glycerides, Chlorphenesin, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter)/Butyrospermum Parkii, Caramel, Phytantriol, Panthenol, Glycerin, Polysorbate 20, Arctium Lappa Root Extract/Arctium Lappa, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract/Chamomilla Recutita, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract/Urtica Dioica, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract/Rosmarinus Officinalis, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract/Salvia Officinalis, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Oil/Vitis Vinifera, Styrax Benzoin Resin Oil/Styrax Benzoin, Citric Acid, Benzoic Acid, Cinnamic Acid, Benzaldehyde, Vanillin, Coniferyl Benzoate, Ethylhexylglycerin, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Hexyl Cinnamal, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-Cyclohexene Carboxaldehyde, Coumarin, Hydroxycitronellal, Linalool, Citronellol, Yellow 5/CI 19140

Whew! That’s a long list. If they’re charging by the ingredient, you’re probably getting your money’s worth. But in terms of differentiating technology, there doesn’t appear to be much here. Of course they don’t bother to mention the ingredients that REALLY work because the backbone of this product is pretty much the same as many other shampoos: sodium laureth sulfate and decyl glucoside foam and clean, cocamide MEA thickens and boosts lather richness; and Guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride and PEG-7 caprylic/capric glycerides condition. Here’s what we think about the rest of the formula…

1. Amino acids have some limited functionality in conditioners if their aiding the deposition of conditioning ingredients, but there’s little effect from a shampoo regardless of level.
2. There is some research that shows phytantriol increases penetration of panthenol in hair and that high levels of panthenol can thicken and increase hair strength. Depending on the levels used, there maybe some benefit to these ingredients.
3. The extracts mentioned do not have emollient properties regardless of how they’re used.
4. Proteins (like silk and wheat) can have limited conditioning effects on hair, especially if they are cationically modified (have a postitive charge added) so they stick to damaged sites. But plenty of other, cheaper, products use this technology already.
5. Shea butter is an excellent skin conditioner but provides no benefit in a shampoo because it will simply rinse off the hair.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

This shampoo may give a luxurious rubber cement feel (what’s up with that?), but it’s inconceivable to us that any shampoo could be worth this price. If you paid $140 for 12 ounces then you’re using about $3.00 worth ever time you shampoo. We’re not aware of ANY technology that provides a benefit that justifies that kind of cost. However, we would be glad to look at any test data on this product that demonstrates the benefit it provides. And in case you decide you want to try it, please click the Amazon link above so we can get a piece of that $140.