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Side by side

Biolage Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner vs Kerastase Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner

10 of 10 functions match Formula overlap 57%. Biolage Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner and Kerastase Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner share 4 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

Which of these fits your hair?

We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.

Your profile at a glance

  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here
  • Your answers appear here

When each one is the right call

What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.

  • Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner — protein-sensitive hair
  • Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner — protein-sensitive hair

Side by side

Every trait, aligned

One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.

Trait
Biolage Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner — 33.8 oz container Biolage

Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Kerastase Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner — 34 oz container Kerastase

Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$42 33.8 oz · $1.32/oz
$68 34 oz · $2.00/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 57% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a conditioner $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 59% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Same
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Moderate Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Moderate Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Protein Same
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Conditioner
Conditionercream
Line
Ultra Hydra Source
—
Where to buy
Target · Salons · Brand website
—
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
—
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".

The bottom line

The bottom line depends on your hair

Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.

Take the consultation

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The detail behind the table

Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.

Shared and distinct ingredients

Shared and distinct ingredients

Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.

What both formulas carry

IngredientUltra Hydra Source ConditionerSymbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#2Leading
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#5Supporting
#3Leading
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#6Below the 1% line
#26Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#7Below the 1% line
#5Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#13Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line
Salicylic Acid
Active
#18Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Detangles
#9Below the 1% line
#6Below the 1% line
Linalool
Fragrance
#19Below the 1% line
#21Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner

Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner

Full ingredient list — Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner (23)
Full ingredient list — Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner (28)

Claims check

What each brand says, against what each formula shows

Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.

VerdictsUltra Hydra Source ConditionerSymbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner
Supported
1
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
2
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner

  • Delivers 6x more moisture after one useStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Provides 72 hours of moisture and frizz controlSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Intensely conditions dry, thick, and coarse hairStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner

  • 84% of users reported a soothed and rebalanced scalpStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 96% experienced noticeably softer and stronger hairStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

What owners say

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.

Biolage Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner draws complaints about dryness and weight.

Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner

Some reviewers report the thick formula and bottle design make it hard to dispense (no pump, cap resists twisting)

general users

A subset of reviewers report skin irritation/rash or limp hair after use

reviewers reporting sensitivity

Long-time users of the discontinued Biolage Conditioning Balm / Hydra Therapie Hydra-Seal formulas report this reformulation is not the same and leaves hair drier, coarser, or less soft than the products it replaced

decades-long users of prior Biolage hydrating conditioner formulas

Reviewers frequently ask for the brand to bring back the prior formula/packaging rather than praising the current one

repeat Biolage hydrating-line customers

Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner

Many reviewers describe the texture as a rich, luxurious balm-like cream that goes a long way and leaves a pleasant scent.

A couple of reviewers say it works well as an everyday conditioner but is not rich enough on its own for very dry hair or protein-focused routines.

Several reviewers with fine or flat hair say it hydrates and detangles without weighing hair down or leaving it greasy.

Many reviewers with sensitive, dry, or dandruff-prone scalps say it calms and soothes the scalp without irritation.

Price check

Cost per ounce, in context

Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.

$1.32/oz vs $2.00/oz — Kerastase Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner costs about 1.5× more per ounce than Biolage Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $1.32/oz Ultra Hydra Source Conditi $2.00/oz Symbiose Fondant Apaisant

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 689 conditioners with a computable unit price.

Value readUltra Hydra Source ConditionerSymbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for conditioners per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a conditionerSits in the middle of the range for conditioners per ounce.

Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.

Compare with something else

Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.

Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner vs Glow Mania Color Protecting ConditionerMatrix · 100% function matchSymbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner vs Glow Mania Color Protecting ConditionerMatrix · 100% function matchUltra Hydra Source Conditioner vs Smooth Proof ConditionerBiolage · 100% function matchSymbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner vs Smooth Proof ConditionerBiolage · 100% function matchUltra Hydra Source Conditioner vs Elevate Weightless Volume ConditionerRusk · 100% function matchSymbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner vs Elevate Weightless Volume ConditionerRusk · 100% function matchUltra Hydra Source Conditioner vs Farewell Frizz Smoothing ConditionerBriogeo · 100% function matchSymbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner vs Farewell Frizz Smoothing ConditionerBriogeo · 100% function match

Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner · Symbiose Fondant Apaisant Essentiel Conditioner · All conditioners in the library

How this page was made

  • This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
  • We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
  • The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
  • The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
  • The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
  • 9 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
  • Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
  • This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.

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