Is Kerastase worth more than Elvive?

Tiffany wants to know…Could you please do a chemical comparison between the new Kerastase and Elseve shampoo and conditioner? They are both packaged very similarly- pink bottles- claiming no silicone and krystal shine. I’m not sure of the exact name in the USA since I am in France, but I spend 35 euros on the Kerastase shampoo and 3 euros on the Elseve! Quite the price difference! Please tell me there is something worth the 10xs time hike!

The Beauty Brains respond:

Tiffany is referring to Kerastase “Cristalliste” and Elvive “Nutri-Gloss” both of which are made by L’Oreal. While the Elvive product has been around for a while, Cristalliste is newer and makes several breakthrough and compelling claims including:*

  • Rebalances the hair fiber.
  • Roots are left pure and weightless.
  • Ends are smooth and polished.
  • Hair is perfectly clean, luminous and weightless.

*I was being sarcastic. These kinds of claims have been made by other hair care products for years.

Is Kerastase worth 10 times more than Elvive?

A comparison of the Cristalliste Bain Cristal (Fine Hair) shampoo ingredients and the Elvive Nutri-gloss shampoo shows that both have water as the first ingredient as is expected. As the second ingredient, both have a “laureth sulfate.” Kerastase has ammonium while Elvive uses sodium Both ingredients work the same way so it doesn’t really matter. As the third ingredient and fourth ingredients are salt and betaine. These are essentially foam boosters and thickeners. The the formulas are the same so far. After that we see that Kerastate uses a guar conditioning ingredient while Elvive uses a combination of guar and silicone.

What does all this mean? Both shampoos have the same cleansing “backbone” although their conditioning systems are somewhat different. You may prefer one over the other but there’s NOTHING in the Kerastase formula that would merit a ten-fold increase in price!

Now onto the conditioners: In this case both products are based on a mixture of Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-180, and Behentrimonium Chloride. The Cristalliste version contains 2 additional conditioners that may or may not significantly alter the feel of the product but again, there’s no advanced technology that would drive the price up.

The Beauty Brains bottom line

Both Cristalliste and Elvive shampoos and conditioners are well formulated and you should buy the one that you like the best and that you can afford. But if you’re trying to save a few dollars you’d be much better off with the Elvive product.

Cristalliste Bain Cristal shampoo ingredients

Aqua/water, ammonium lauryl sulfate, cocamidopropyl betaine, sodium chloride, hexylene glycol, sodium benzoate, hydroxypropyl guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, salicylic acid, benzoic acid, citric acid, aloe barbadensis/aloe barbadensis leaf juice, limonene, linalool, hexyl cinnamal, benzyl salicylate, benzyl alcohol, citronellol, sodium hydroxide, parfum/fragrance

Elvive Nutr-gloss shampoo ingredients

Aqua / Water, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Sodium Chloride, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, Cyclodextrin, Dimethicone, CI 17200 / Red 33, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Cocamide MIPA, Sodium Methylparaben, DMDM Hydantoin, Sodium Cocoate, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, Limonene, Linalool, Propylene Glycol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Carbomer, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Methyl Cocoate, Citrus Medica Limonum Extract / Lemon Fruit Extract, Hexyl Cinnamal, Parfum / Fragrance, (F.I.L. C28530/1).

Cristalliste conditioner ingredients

Aqua/water, cetyl alcohol, peg-180, behentrimonium chloride, amodimethicone, isopropyl alcohol, cetyl esters, hydroxyethylcellulose, lauryl peg/ppg-18/18 methicone, bis-diglyceryl polyacyladipate-2, aloe barbadensis/aloe barbadensis leaf juice, tricedeth-6, limonene, linalool, chlorhexidine digluconate, dodecene, poloxamer 407, hexyl cinnamal, cetrimonium chloride, benzyl salicylate, benzyl alcohol, citric acid, citronellol, parfum/fragrance.

Elvive Nutrigloss conditioner ingredients

Aqua (water), Cetyl Alcohol, PEG-180, Behentrimonium Chloride, CI 17200 /Red 33, Hydroxyethylcellulose, Dodecene, Hydrolyzed Conchiolin Protein, Trideceth-6, Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride, Poloxamer 407, Limonene, Lanolin, Linalool, Amodimethicone, Propylene Glycol, Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone, Cetyl Esters, Methlparaben, BHT, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Cetrimonium Chloride, Citric Acid, Citrus Limonum/Lemon Fruit Extract, Lauryl PEG/PPG-18/18 Methicone, Hexyl Cinnamal, Parfum / Fragrance.