As I Am Curl Clarity Shampoo — container, alternate view

As I Am

Curl Clarity Shampoo

Shampoo / Everyday cleanser, balanced

Shampoo
Sulfate-free
Silicone-free
Protein-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed

Size8 fl oz

Price$8.99seen at one store · 8 oz

Price / oz$1.12/ozat 8 oz

Where to buy1 store

Scent:

The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.

Manufacturer page: asiamnaturally.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Factor Your profile Fit

Best for hair types Wavy–Coily Not in your profile

Moisture level Moderate Not in your profile

Cleansing strength Moderate Not in your profile

Slip / detangling Little Not in your profile

Weight on hair Light Not in your profile

Fragrance Prominent Not in your profile

Protein None Not in your profile

Silicone / wax buildup None Not in your profile

Clarifying wash needed Low Not in your profile

Sulfates None listed Not in your profile

Show all 22 factors we check

The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.

Parabens / preservatives None of these listed Not in your profile

Essential oils None listed Not in your profile

Fast-drying alcohol None Not in your profile

Vegan / cruelty-free Cruelty-free · PETA-listed Not in your profile

Animal-derived ingredients Not yet verified Not in your profile

Heavy humectants Not heavy Not in your profile

Hard-water defence None Not in your profile

UV filter None listed Not in your profile

pH adjusted Adjusted Not in your profile

Ingredient list 13 ingredientsA short list Not in your profile

Price tier Drugstore Not in your profile

Where to buy it Grocery / mass · Target +1Widely sold Not in your profile

The consultation builds your hair profile, then reads every factor in this table against it — and tells you where this product fits, or what to use instead.

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Priced with its peers

$1.12/oz at 8 oz — less than 62% of the 805 shampoos , which mostly run $0.81–3.01/oz. The cost less.

Price and stores

Great for

Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash

Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added

Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones

Fine hairthat flattens under most products

Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list

Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list

Maybe skip if

this product carries a scent

Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list

Hair that tangles wetnothing here reduces combing force

Hard waterno chelator here to bind the minerals

Whether this much cleansing is right for you depends on how fast your scalp oils, how much product you layer, and your water — that is what the consultation works out.

What the formula actually does

Read from the label, not the marketing

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.

Cleansing strength Moderate

Removes oil and product; leaves some conditioning behind.

Expected lather Moderate

An ordinary shampoo lather.

Slip and detangling Little

Nothing here is built to reduce combing force.

Water-binding (humectants) Moderate

Humectants in the working part of the formula.

Scalp active None

No over-the-counter scalp active.

Hard-water defence None

No chelating agent in the list.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Protein None

No protein or amino acids in the list.

Fragrance Prominent

Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula.

from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.

Ingredients that matter

The ingredients that change a decision

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
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate	mild anionic cleanser	—	Cleanses
Cocamidopropyl Betaine	amphoteric cleanser	—	Cleanses
Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose	gum	Natural hold and clump definition	Holds
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract	botanical extract	A plant extract, marketed as much as functional	Neutral
Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract	botanical extract	A plant extract, marketed as much as functional	Neutral
Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Fruit Extract	botanical extract	A plant extract, marketed as much as functional	Neutral
FragranceFragrance/Parfum	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Limonene	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesThe list carries no sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols. No protein — a moisture formula, not a repair one. Fragrance is on the label.

Full ingredient list (13)

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.

1 Water · Aqua/Water/Eau

General function
The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- solvent
2 Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate

General function
A gentle cleanser that leaves a soft after-feel; often paired with stronger detergents.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold
The detergent class most curl routines are built around: it lathers and cleanses without stripping the strand back to bare.

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
A gentler detergent leaves more of the surface oil that slows water loss from coarse or porous hair.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Cleanses with less sebum removal than a sulfate detergent, so hair that is short of moisture keeps more of it through the wash.

PubChem
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
3 Cocamidopropyl Betaine

General function
A mild coconut-derived co-cleanser that boosts foam and softens the effect of stronger detergents. It appears in most shampoos, gentle or not.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
Mild cleansing leaves more surface lubrication in place on hair that dries out quickly.

May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routines
The mildest detergents are also the least complete: a routine that deposits films needs something stronger periodically.

DependsVery dry or highly damaged hair
Among the mildest detergents in use — it is what baby shampoos are built on — but it is almost always the second detergent in a formula. How much a wash strips is still decided by the primary detergent listed above it.

Indian Journal of Dermatology
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
4 Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose

General function
A cellulose thickener used for slip and light hold in gels and creams.

Supporting ingredient
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.

May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold
A polysaccharide film stays softer than a synthetic one as it dries, which is what leaves a curl defined but still able to move.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A soft film binds neighbouring strands together, which is most of what keeps flyaways lying down without stiffness.

May not suitMaximum-hold styling
Gum films stay soft. A style that needs firm fixation usually wants a synthetic polymer doing the holding.
- gum
- thickener
- film former
5 Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Fruit Extract

General function
A coconut extract used at low levels for scent association and label appeal, not for the oil's conditioning effect.

Supporting ingredient
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- botanical extract
6 Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract

General function
An extract from the fruit of Phyllanthus Emblica. Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.

Supporting ingredient
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- botanical extract
7 Citrus Reticulata (Tangerine) Fruit Extract

General function
An extract from the fruit of Tangerine (Citrus Reticulata). Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.

Supporting ingredient
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- botanical extract
▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
8 Fragrance · Fragrance/Parfum

General function
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.

Estimated lower-concentration zone
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines
Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
9 Citric Acid

General function
Used to bring the product to a slightly acidic pH, which helps the cuticle lie flat. It is almost always near the end of the list.

Estimated lower-concentration zone
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines
Holds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the hair.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
The acid side of pH adjustment, and the reason it matters is measured: alkaline formulas raise the fibre's surface negative charge, increase friction between strands and lift the scales, while lower-pH ones do the reverse.

May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair
Where a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.

International Journal of Trichology
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
10 Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
11 Caprylyl Glycol

General function
A gentle preservative helper that also holds a little moisture.

Estimated lower-concentration zone
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Humectants bind water into the strand, and water — not oil — is what makes dry hair flexible instead of brittle.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
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.

PubChem
- preservative
- humectant
12 Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
13 Limonene

General function
A citrus-smelling fragrance component that EU rules require to be named separately because some people react to it.

Estimated lower-concentration zone
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.

May not suitFragrance-sensitive routines
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.

PubChem
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen

What the whole list adds up to

3 botanical extracts
3 preservatives
2 cleansers
2 fragrances
1 solvent
1 mild anionic cleanser
1 amphoteric cleanser
1 secondary cleanser
1 gum
1 thickener
1 film former
1 declared fragrance
1 pH adjuster
1 hard-water chelator

Ingredient list captured 2026-08-21. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 8 oz

Seen at $8.99 1 store · checked Aug 21

Good value under $8 Under $1.02/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $8 line; products that do this job typically go for about $9 at this size.

Show the price ladder

Price for 8 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store

Target
$8.99

8 oz · $1.12/oz

Aug 21Lowest per oz

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.

How we work this out

8 oz is the size stores list most often; every comparison on this page is made at it. Other sizes are shown in the Sizes row and the store list.
Seen at $8.99 is the price we have observed for the 8 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
Good value under $8 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $1.02/oz; at 8 oz that is $8. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
About $9 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 8 oz.

Formula

Formula score

7 of 10

Nothing separates this from the middle of the range for shampoos, on formula or on cost per ounce.

How the score is counted

1 products that do the same job cost less per ounce
Costs less per ounce than 62% of the 805 shampoos we’ve priced
No slip for detangling in the formula
Reviewers mention 3 things they like about how it performs

A working detergent systemWhat actually removes oil and product.3 pts
Slip for detanglingReduces the force it takes to comb wet hair.2 pts
A humectantBinds water into the hair.1 pt
A hard-water chelatorBinds the minerals that dull hair in hard water.1 pt
A pH adjusterBrings the formula to the acidic pH hair prefers.1 pt
No detergent-dependent filmNothing that needs a clarifying wash to remove.1 pt
Fragrance kept out of the top eightScent as a finishing touch, not a major share.1 pt

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.

Ginger MilkLowest cost per oz Hydrating Shampoo for Curly, Wavy, and Coily Hair $0.81/oz $0.31/oz less

Hard water

· Close function

Function: Oils and butters
Hard-water defence
Also: Masstige tier
16 oz bottle

Compare

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

Should you buy it?

A solid pick for the hair it suits

Best user

Colour-treated hair — for washing without sulfates and a protein-free formula

Biggest tradeoff

Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein, or hair that tangles the moment it is wet

Best alternative if not

Ginger Milk Hydrating Shampoo for Curly, Wavy, and Coily Hair, 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

What the brand says, against what the formula shows

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.

SupportedBacked by ingredients

Partly supportedSome supporting logic

Stated by brandNo clear evidence

Potential conflictFormula works against claim

Thorough yet gentle cleansing designed to preserve your hairs natural moisture

Humectants and emollients are present, but lower in the list than the claim implies.

Caprylyl Glycol

Partly supported

Some hydration, at a low level.

62% less force required to comb, 78% less force required to detangle curls

A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.

—

Stated by brand

Only the brand’s testing shows this.

How to read 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

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.

Preserves moisture while clarifying/removing buildup without over-drying

curly/coily reviewers using it as a light cleanse between deep conditioning

Noticeably easier detangling and combing after use

reviewers citing brand-published 62%/78% force-reduction claims corroborated anecdotally

Thin/watery consistency but lathers quickly, so a little goes a long way

general curly-hair reviewers

Occasional reports of excessive shedding/hair loss during wash

small number of Target reviewers, low review count

How this page was made

Everything above is generated from our researched product record — identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. No part of this page is written per product.
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.
Both scores out of ten are defined on this page. The formula score is completeness for the job, computed from a fixed per-format checklist shown beneath the gauge; the price score is cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced.
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.
5 sources consulted for this product (4 manufacturer or regulatory, 1 retailer, 0 editorial), last checked 2026-08-25.
Ingredient references are linked for 5 of 7 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are conditional formulation guidance, not a conclusion about the finished product or about you.
We have not tested this product in a lab and we do not physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list; behaviour claims are labelled as the brand's.
Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice.
Ingredient names link to our ingredient library, where each entry shows what it does, which product types use it, and where it usually sits on a label across everything we have researched.
This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
Formula readings: derivation v22. Record last updated 2026-08-25.