Biolage Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner — 33.8 oz container

Biolage · Ultra Hydra Source

Ultra Hydra Source Conditioner

Conditioner / Everyday rinse-out, detangling

Conditioner
Sulfate-free
Silicone-free
Protein-free

Size33.8 fl oz

Price$42seen at one store · 33.8 oz

Price / oz$1.32/ozat 33.8 oz

Where to buy3 stores · $42.00–47.18

Scent:

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

Listing used for research: target.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Factor Your profile Fit

Best for hair types All types Not in your profile

Moisture level High Not in your profile

Oils and butters Moderate Not in your profile

Slip / detangling High Not in your profile

Weight on hair Medium 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 Moderate Not in your profile

Parabens / preservatives None of these listed Not in your profile

Show all 21 factors we check

The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.

Essential oils None listed Not in your profile

Fast-drying alcohol Moderate Not in your profile

Vegan / cruelty-free Not yet verified Not in your profile

Animal-derived ingredients Not yet verified Not in your profile

Heavy humectants 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 23 ingredientsAbout average Not in your profile

Price tier Salon Not in your profile

Where to buy it Target · Salons +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

$1.32/oz at 33.8 oz — less than 57% of the 689 conditioners , which mostly run $0.91–3.10/oz.

Price and stores

Great for

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

Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list

Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers

Maybe skip if

this product carries a scent

Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol

Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list

Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you

Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers

Whether this much richness is right for you depends on your strand thickness, porosity, and how easily your hair flattens — 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.

Slip and detangling High

Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula.

Oils and butters Present, high in the list

Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula.

Weight on the hair Medium

Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair.

Water-binding (humectants) High

Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here.

Protein None

No protein or amino acids in the list.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Hard-water defence None

No chelating agent 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
Cetearyl Alcohol	fatty alcohol	Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol	Softens
Elaeis Guineensis Oil/Palm Oil	oil	Coats and softens the strand	Softens
Behentrimonium Chloride	conditioning agent	Conditions and softens — this is what makes it comb through	Detangles
Glycerin	humectant	Pulls water into the hair	Moisturizes
Phenoxyethanol	preservative	Keeps the product from spoiling	Stabilizes
FragranceParfum/fragrance	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Isopropyl Alcohol	drying alcohol	A small amount, for fast drying	Drying
Limonene	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Hexyl Cinnamal	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Coumarin	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Salicylic Acid	active	A secondary active	Active

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesNo sulfates or silicones. Protein-free: this is built for moisture rather than for strengthening. Contains fragrance. Fast-drying alcohol is in the list.

Full ingredient list (23)

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 Cetearyl Alcohol

General function
A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.

Role in this product type
In conditioner, cetearyl alcohol gives the emulsion its creamy structure and helps it spread evenly through the hair. Its emollient layer adds slip and a smoother feel.

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

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
May suit dry, coarse, or high-porosity hair that benefits from added slip and a more substantial conditioning film.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.

DependsFine or easily flattened hair
Consider if hair is fine or easily flattened: a formula built heavily around fatty alcohols can feel richer than a lightweight conditioner.

BASF
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
3 Elaeis Guineensis Oil/Palm Oil

General function
Palm oil, a heavy, sealing plant oil used in rich creams and butters.

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

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

May not suitFine or easily flattened hair
Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.
- oil
- emollient
4 Behentrimonium Chloride

General function
A positively charged conditioning agent that binds to damaged, negatively charged spots on the hair. It is the main detangling ingredient in most rinse-out conditioners.

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

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
Electrokinetic measurement puts the C22 quat ahead of the C16 ones for deposition: the longer chain adds van der Waals stabilisation on top of the charge binding. That extra deposit is what coarse hair usually needs to comb through.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

International Journal of Cosmetic Science
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
5 Glycerin

General function
A small water-loving molecule that draws moisture into the hair and holds it there. It is the most common softening ingredient in conditioners and leave-ins.

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

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
Water moves both ways. Measured across concentrations, glycerin solutions give water up in some conditions and take it from the air in others. What it does for you depends on how much of it is there and on the air around it.

Scientific Reports
- humectant
▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
6 Phenoxyethanol

General function
The most common modern preservative; it keeps the product free of bacteria and mould. It sits well below 1% of the formula.

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.
PubChem
- preservative
7 Fragrance · Parfum/fragrance

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
8 Isopropyl Alcohol

General function
A fast-evaporating alcohol used as a solvent and to speed drying. Well down the list it is a processing aid; near the top it can leave hair feeling dry.

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 suitFine or easily flattened hair
Evaporates on contact, which is how a spray sets almost instantly and leaves no weight behind it.

PubChem
- drying alcohol
- solvent
9 Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine

General function
A gentle conditioning agent activated by the acid in the formula. It smooths the cuticle without much build-up.

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 suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
The class that does the detangling in a conditioner. It deposits lubrication where the cuticle is worn.

DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

PubChem
- conditioning agent
10 Prunus Armeniaca Kernel Oil/Apricot Kernel Oil
- oil
- emollient
11 Theobroma Grandiflorum (Cupuacu) Seed Butter · Theobroma grandiflorum seed butter

General function
Cupuacu butter, a rich butter that holds water unusually well for its weight.

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 suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
Coarse, porous hair loses water quickly and can carry the weight; a butter slows that loss more than a thin oil does.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
A solid fat melts onto the strand at body temperature and stays there, which is the heaviest surface moisture-holding a formula can offer.
- butter
- emollient
12 Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice

General function
Aloe gel, used for light moisture and slip. High in the list it also contributes a little natural hold.

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 suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold
Gums thicken and set soft, which gives definition that bends rather than a rigid cast.

May suitFine or easily flattened hair
Hydration with no oil attached, so it adds very little weight even high on a list.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Aloe is mostly water carrying sugars that bind more of it, which is why it turns up as the base of moisture-first formulas.
- humectant
- botanical extract
- gum
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
14 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
15 Chlorhexidine Dihydrochloride
- preservative
16 Hexyl Cinnamal

General function
A jasmine-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised allergen.

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
17 Coumarin

General function
A sweet, hay-like fragrance component listed separately as a recognised allergen.

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
18 Salicylic Acid
- active
- exfoliant
19 Linalool

General function
A floral fragrance component listed separately as a recognised contact allergen.

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
20 Amyl Cinnamal

General function
A jasmine-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised allergen.

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
21 Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
22 Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
23 Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- vitamin

What the whole list adds up to

6 fragrances
5 named fragrance allergens
4 emollients
4 preservatives
2 solvents
2 oils
2 conditioning agents
2 humectants
1 fatty alcohol
1 thickener
1 cleanser
1 declared fragrance
1 drying alcohol
1 butter

Ingredient list captured 2026-08-22. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 33.8 oz

Seen at $42 lowest of 2 stores · checked Aug 29

Good value under $44 Under $1.31/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

Good value on sale. Some stores sell it under the $44 line; products that do this job typically go for about $59 at this size.

Show the price ladder

Price for 33.8 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it2 listings · 2 stores

mybathandi.com
$42.00

33.81 oz · $1.24/oz

Aug 29Lowest per oz
Target
$47.18

33.8 oz · $1.40/oz

Aug 29

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

33.8 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 $42 is the price we have observed for the 33.8 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
Good value under $44 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $1.31/oz; at 33.8 oz that is $44. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
About $59 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 33.8 oz.

Formula

Formula score

9 of 10

The formula carries the systems a conditioner is built around, and it sits in the middle of the range for conditioners per ounce.

How the score is counted

1 products we score as doing the same job cost less per ounce
Costs less per ounce than 57% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Covers 5 of the 6 things a conditioner should do
Reviewers mention 3 recurring complaints

Conditioning agents up frontWhat makes wet hair comb through.3 pts
Oils or butters in the working zoneSoftens the strand rather than just coating it.2 pts
Slip for detanglingReduces the force it takes to comb wet hair.2 pts
A humectantBinds water into the hair.1 pt
A pH adjusterBrings the formula to the acidic pH hair prefers.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.

MatrixLowest cost per oz Glow Mania Color Protecting Conditioner $0.50/oz $0.82/oz less

Protein-free
Curly method
Silicone-free

· Same function

Differs: Masstige tier
1.7 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

Hair that stiffens on protein who want a protein-free formula and real detangling slip

Biggest tradeoff

Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, very dry or high-damage hair, or soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein

Best alternative if not

Matrix Glow Mania Color Protecting 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

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

Delivers 6x more moisture after one use

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.

Provides 72 hours of moisture and frizz control

Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.

Cetearyl Alcohol
Elaeis Guineensis Oil/Palm Oil
Glycerin

Supported

Helps hair feel hydrated.

Intensely conditions dry, thick, and coarse hair

This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

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.

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

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 (3 manufacturer or regulatory, 2 retailer, 0 editorial), last checked 2026-08-25.
Ingredient references are linked for 11 of 15 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.