Co-wash / Low-lather cleanser, non-foaming
Scent:
Notes: vanilla.
“This collection has no added fragrance. That being said, it does have a naturally occurring warm scent of vanilla from the vanilla extract ingredient.” — Brand page
Listing used for research: target.com
Personal fit
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The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
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Your avoid-list
Lower cost than most co-washes
$0.75/oz at 8 oz — less than 86% of the 94 co-washes , which mostly run $1.08–2.77/oz.
Great for
Maybe skip if
What the formula actually does
Each row says where it comes from: F means we derived it from this product’s own ingredient list, S means it is a claim the brand makes that the formula neither confirms nor contradicts.
No detergent — the conditioners do the cleaning.
Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula.
Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula.
Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part.
Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
No protein or amino acids in the list.
Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.
Ingredients that matter
The workhorse ingredients plus anything lower down that changes a decision. These chips name what an ingredient does — they are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.
| Ingredient | What it does | Why it matters | Chip |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterAqua/Water/Eau | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Body and cleansing feel — not a drying alcohol | Softens |
| Cetrimonium Chloride | conditioning agent | Does the cleaning here — a co-wash cleans with conditioners | Detangles |
| Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil | oil | Coats and softens the strand | Softens |
| Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil | oil | Coats and softens the strand | Softens |
| Phytosterols | emollient | Softens and smooths the strand | Detangles |
| Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine | conditioning agent | Does the cleaning here — a co-wash cleans with conditioners | Detangles |
| Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter | butter | Heavy softening — this is what makes it rich | Heavy |
| Caprylyl Glycol | preservative | Keeps the product from spoiling | Moisturizes |
| Ethylhexylglycerin | preservative | Keeps the product from spoiling | Softens |
| Sodium Benzoate | preservative | Keeps the product from spoiling | Stabilizes |
| FragranceFragrance/Parfum | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
US labelling rules put ingredients above 1% in descending order of amount; below 1% they may be listed in any order. Annotations keep three readings separate: the ingredient's general function, its role in this product type, and what its position can support.
The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
The waxy solid that gives a conditioner its body. It deposits a soft lubricating layer, which is most of what makes hair feel smooth after rinsing.
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.
A quick-acting conditioning agent that reduces static and combing force. It also helps keep the formula stable.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
The C16 quat binds mostly by charge rather than by chain, so it deposits measurably less than the C22 ones. Less deposit is less conditioning and also less weight, which is usually the trade fine hair wants.
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.
One of the few oils small enough to move into the strand, which is why it is used for pre-wash treatments. It can feel heavy or stiff on protein-sensitive hair.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Because it penetrates rather than sits on top, it works on hair that loses water through a worn cuticle instead of only slowing evaporation from the surface the way a non-penetrating oil does.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
The exception to the class read: lauric acid is small and linear enough to enter the shaft rather than only coat it, and in comparison testing coconut oil was the one that reduced protein loss from washing on both undamaged and damaged hair.
A rich oil used in masks and heavier creams for softness on coarse or dry hair.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.
Plant lipids used to support the hair's own surface layer.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
A plant-derived conditioning agent that smooths the cuticle and eases combing.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.
The class that does the detangling in a conditioner. It deposits lubrication where the cuticle is worn.
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.
A rich, solid plant butter used for heavy conditioning on coarse or dry hair. High in the list it makes a product decidedly heavy.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Coarse, porous hair loses water quickly and can carry the weight; a butter slows that loss more than a thin oil does.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A solid fat melts onto the strand at body temperature and stays there, which is the heaviest surface moisture-holding a formula can offer.
A workhorse emulsifier that holds oil and water together in a cream.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A thickening polymer that gives creams and curl products their bounce and helps them cling to the strand.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
Cationic polymers hold a curl loosely and stay soft, which is why they turn up in definition products rather than firm-hold ones.
A cationic polymer stays on the hair through rinsing, which is what keeps static and combing friction down after the wash.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
A light, dry-feeling ester that spreads other ingredients and softens without a greasy finish.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.
Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
An acid used to set pH and, in scalp products, to loosen flakes.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.
A humectant moves water in whichever direction the air allows: it holds moisture in humid conditions and can pull it back out of hair in very dry ones.
A gentle preservative helper that also holds a little moisture.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Humectants bind water into the strand, and water — not oil — is what makes dry hair flexible instead of brittle.
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.
A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
An undisclosed blend of scent ingredients. Regulations let it stay unlisted, so a fragrance-free product is the only way to be certain what is not in it.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-30. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 8 oz
Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $6 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $7 at this size.
Sorted by price per ounce. Dated observations from our research, not live prices. Direct store pages, no affiliate links. We don’t sell this product.
Formula
This formula covers the systems a co-wash is built around, and it costs less per ounce than most of the co-washes we have researched.
The formula score is completeness for the job: the share of the systems this product type is normally built around that we can find in this list, weighted. It is not efficacy, not quality, and it never compares across product types.
Does the same job, for less
Same derived functions — what it cleans, conditions, coats or holds — at a lower cost per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy it can still differ.
See more alternatives in the product library
These are functional neighbours, not personal recommendations — they are close on formula, not chosen for anyone. Get the one that fits your hair, routine, and budget
Final decision
Colour-treated hair who want washing without sulfates and a protein-free formula
Less suited to anyone sensitive to fragrance, oily scalps and fine hair, or anyone who wants a squeaky-clean feel
As I Am Coconut CoWash Cleansing Conditioner — for similar results at a lower price
We do not sell products or take placement fees. This page states what the formula and the prices show; the consultation is what matches it to a person.
Claims check
Claims are quoted from the brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when the ingredient list actually speaks to it; everything else stays "stated by the brand", which is not a criticism — most claims simply cannot be read off a label.
Gently cleanses and conditions while moisturizing curls
Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.
Helps hair feel hydrated.
Improves scalp moisture by 107%
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
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Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Cleanses up to 99%
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
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Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Improves hair moisture by 10% after one use
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Improves scalp health by 9%
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Dermatologist-tested, no-tears, vegan, cruelty-free, paraben-free, PEG-free, phthalate-free and talc-free
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
We look at the first 10–15 ingredients and what they do in a formula — not marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.
Reviewers
Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.
Detangling is the most repeated functional benefit: reviewers say combing out afterwards is markedly easier and describe good slip on type 3 curls
brand-site reviewers, curly type 3 hairMost reviewers are parents washing a child's or toddler's hair and single out how gentle and tear-free it is, several saying it turned a fought-over wash day into a quick one
brand-site reviewers describing use on babies and toddlersReviewers consistently report soft, hydrated, still-defined curls rather than the stripped feel they get from shampoo, and one fine-thin-haired reviewer notes it does not leave hair greasy or heavy
brand-site reviewers across child and adult useLow lather is the recurring qualification — reviewers note it barely foams, and one says she has to use a good bit of product each wash because of it
brand-site reviewers, including a first-time co-wash userReviewers plainly perceive a scent and mention it often — variously as light and rose-like, a soft baby smell, or bear-claw doughnuts — which sits against the brand's own 'no added fragrance' collection copy
brand-site reviewers; one reports the co-wash alone left her baby's hair a little dry until she followed with the leave-in