Peppermint poses a question…I am interested in the Leonor Greyl Masque Quintessence hair mask but at $137 a tub I am incredibly skeptical. In this economy I wonder how this product continues to have sales at such an unbelievable price! I am just wondering if this masque contains some kinds of superior ingredients or something that justify the price? Are there any alternative products worth trying that are at a more reasonable price that might have the same impact on hair?
The Right Brain responds:
We agree that the cost of this Leonor Greyl product is ridiculous for the benefits it provides. For that much money, it had better be the “Holy Greyl” of hair care products! (By the way, for those of you not in the know, you can read about Leonor Greyl.)
We can’t tell you how this product can have sales at such a high price, but we can tell you this: we have an AWESOME community in the Beauty Brains forum, where this question was posted. Case in point, forum member Lelalela did some research to break down the ingredients in this product. So we thought we’d share the results of her work. Thank you Lelalela, you rock!
Leonor Greyl Masque ingredients
- Water- good ol’ water
- Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil- regular coconut oil, it is very hydrating to hair and does penetrate the cortex to icrease pliability and manageability, this makes this product a great deep conditioner
- Buxus Chinesis Seed Oil- oil that coats the hair
- Ricnodendron Rautanenii (Manketti) Seed Oil- oil that coats the hair
- Butyrospermum Parkii- shea butter, coats the hair
- Hydrolyzed Hibiscus Esculentus Extract- pointless
- Acacia Sengal- thickener
- Cetyl Alcohol- thickener and emollient
- Cocamidopropyl PG-Dimnonium Chloride- quat, lightweight conditioning agent
- Hydrogenated Vegetable Glycerides- thickener, emollient
- PEG-8 Beeswax- thickener
- Theobroma Grandiflorum- silly puffery
- Limonium Latifolium- silly puffery
- Tocopherol- vitamin e, hydrator
- Oleic/Linoleic/Linolenic Polycerides- thickener and emollient
- PEG-15 Cocopolyamine- antistatic agent
- Tridecyl Timelliatate- thickener, emollient
- Polyquaternium-47- antistatic agent
- Parum (Fragrance)- pretty scent
- Behentrimonium Methosulfate- very powerful quat conditioning agent
- Quaternium-33- quat conditioning agent
- Quaternium-91 – quat conditioning agent
- Cetrimonium Methosulfate- quat conditioning agent
- Propylene Glycol- solvent
- Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract- puffery
- Glycerin- humectant
- Cerus Graniflorus Flower Extract- puffery
- Lauryl Dimethyl Amine Oxide- preservative
- Elaeis Guineensis (Palm) Oil- oil that coats the hair
- Sodium PCA- humectant
- Urea- humectant, preservative
- Trehalose- sugar
- Polyquaternium-57- quat conditioning agent
- Sodium Hyaluronate – humectant
- Triticum Vulgare- wheat germ extract, has effect on skin as antioxidant, not on hair
- Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride- guar gum based conditioner
- Daucus Carota Sativa Seed Oil- oil that coats the hair
- Methylchlorosisothiazolinone – preservative, sensitizing when left on skin
- Methylisothiazolinone- preservative, sensitizing when left on skin
The Beauty Brains bottom line
We agree with Lelalela when she says that if you were looking just at the top 5 ingredients which comprise the bulk of the formula, you have one oil that penetrates to make hair feel really healthy and several that coat the hair to increase a shiny film (it will look greasy unless your hair is SUPER thick and coarse and you use very little). That one oil is coconut oil and yes, it’s a fabulous conditioning ingredient, even on it’s own.
What do YOU think? Have you ever spent this much money on a hair care product? What IS the most you’ve ever spent on a single cosmetic? Leave a comment and share your extravagances with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
The only way I’m buying something that expensive for my hair is if Greyl first brings me – a shrubbery!
Is that an African or European shrubbery?
I used to spend a ton on beauty products, simply because I loved the indulgence and I loved being able to smell and feel and sample products beforehand. I hated the inconvenience of using something like coconut oil (and I’m not big on the coconut smell either) when I could just use a rich mask. But since I’ve gone back to school I’ve become a lot more conscious about my beauty spending and now save a lot of money (my biggest expenditures are hair products and self tanner so I’m always looking for a cheaper alternative). I realized the inconvenience of the coconut oil is offset by how much money I save (and my hair is even in better condition).
Oh let’s make it easy and get an American shrubbery. But he still has to tell me the velocity of a laden swallow.
I’ve never spent that much on my hair before.
Now my skin… that’s another story.
That lelalela is one smart girl!
Ladies, let’s not feed my ego any more than necessary!
Only correction is Lauryl Dimethyl Amine Oxide is not a preservative, it’s a surfactant. While it certainly resists microbes itself(contains free hydrogen peroxide), at the level on the list it would have zero efficacy. The Methylchlorosisothiazolinone and Methylisothiazolinone are the preservative workhorses.
More likely it’s helping with emulsion properties.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauryldimethylamine_oxide
I have been told that using coconut oil (and any other oil) on the hair can dry them out because the oil takes away the natural fat that protects and hydrates hair. The same principle why we can use oil to take off make up or to wash our body. Is that true?
I have lots of personal experience with Leonor Greyl as well as most of other top shelf hair products.
This Masque is the Holly Grail of Treatments and cost as much as a reasonably priced cashmere sweater, yet it is not the right product for every hair.
I should mention that I am a buyer with 11 years of experience and I carry Lenor Greyl at my store. After much contemplation and many trials, I decided to add this masque to our collection.
It is specifically for bob length or longer hair which is damaged due to use of 30% or higher peroxide in color formula (which while not harsh, it is the only option for some color formulas) and those who have had strenuous chemical procedures done to the hair (perm, relaxers, etc)
It is meant to be applied to dry hair, left in for 20 minutes or longer, emulsified with water, then used as if it is a shampoo and rinsed out without use of any additional conditioner.
It will not leave an oily residue, but when applied in this way,
one will only need one to two jars per year as after the first month it is unnecessary to use it more than every ten days and Initially only twice per week.
Those with 20% peroxide in their color formula, those who do 2 to 4 highlights per year or those with shorter hair do not require this product unless they are suffering from a chemical service mishap and the hair is literally breaking off with brushing.
Masque Quintenessance will make hair strong, hydrated and shiny, seals split ends and allow the person with damaged hair to preserve the length of their hair and continue with their color or retexturizing services while preserving the integrity of their hair. It is also a hair saver for virgin long hair, damaged due to chlorine, salt and sun or bad diet and medication.
This is the answer for some hair and it is definitely not necessary for everyone.
I found the ingredient list a bit unconvincing too at the start but this is often the case when one looks at the ingredients. The amount of each ingredients and the actual synergy of all of them together as well as the quality of the raw ingredients, and size their molecules will make a big difference and that cannot be determined by looking at the ingredient list.
Just as not every cashmere sweater is the same not every Hair masque with those ingredients has the same effect.
Leonor Greyl products imo range from good to must have fabulosity. There are not many that leave me cold, but this masque did. I got a deluxe sized sample of it (hard to come by trust me on that) from my stylist and she raved about it. It smelled good (like most Greyl products do) and it seemed to make my hair really shiny. But honestly? I’m sticking with their Huile de Palm (that’s plain ol’ Palm Oil to us Amurrikins.) It coats the hair so nicely and really leaves everything springy, shiny and voluminous. I love it and it’s half the price and has about 20 more applications.
Great response @namnam. Here at our salon, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. We are an exclusive salon in Los Angeles providing Leonor Greyl products, and treatments, and Quintessence is our top magic remedy for exactly the cases you described.
The price can throw you off, sure. But if and when used correctly, it will change your hair (long term) and amaze you with what a mix of natural ingredients can do.
I have always tried to grow my hair as long as I could – I don’t process it, don’t use anything harsh, but still, it never really got past mid-back.
I received some of this masque as a gift and used it only on my ends, before washing my hair, religiously.
After 6 months of use, my hair is now down past my hips . It isn’t breaking off. Still seems to fall out at the same rate however….
I tried long ago to do this with straight coconut oil, but it was too greasy and the process of washing it out negated any good effects it had.