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Clairol · Shimmer Lights

Professional Shimmer Lights Purple Conditioner for Blonde & Silver Hair

Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Moisture-rich
  • Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Size16 fl oz
Price$11–13 Good valuecommonly seen · 16 oz
Price / oz$0.80/ozat 16 oz
Where to buy4 stores · $9.95–13.95

Scent:

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

Strength: Strong

Listing used for research: cbsbtysupply.com

Personal fit

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Lower cost than most conditioners

$0.80/oz at 16 oz — less than 79% of the 689 conditioners , which mostly run $0.91–3.10/oz.

Price and stores

Great for

Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
Short ingredient listsfifteen ingredients or fewer
Tight budgetsit sits in the lower price tiers

Maybe skip if

this product carries a strong scent
Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here
Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only

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 None

No oils or butters in the list.

Water-binding (humectants) High

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

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Fragrance Present

Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.

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.

IngredientWhat it doesWhy it mattersChip
WaterWater (Eau) solvent The base everything else is dissolved in Neutral
Acetamide MEA humectant Pulls water into the hair Detangles
Stearalkonium Chloride conditioning agent Conditions and softens — this is what makes it comb through Detangles
Cetyl Alcohol fatty alcohol Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol Softens
Glycol Distearate opacifier Makes the product look creamy Softens
Hydroxyethylcellulose gum Natural hold and clump definition Holds
Ext. Violet 2 (CI 60730)Violet Pigment (Ext. Violet 2) colourant Colours the product, not the hair Neutral
Conditioning Agents — — Neutral
Fragrance fragrance The scent Fragrance
What the list leaves out, and what it carriesFragrance is on the label.
Full ingredient list (9)

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 · 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 Acetamide MEA
    General function

    A humectant that also improves slip, used in conditioners and styling creams.

    Leading ingredient

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

    May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair

    Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.

    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
    • humectant
    • conditioning agent
  • 3 Stearalkonium Chloride
    General function

    A long-standing conditioning agent that flattens the cuticle and cuts static. It rinses less completely than newer alternatives.

    Leading ingredient

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

    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
  • 4 Cetyl Alcohol
    General function

    A fatty alcohol used to thicken creams and add slip. It softens rather than dries.

    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

    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.

    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

    Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.

    PubChem
    • fatty alcohol
    • emollient
    • thickener
  • 5 Glycol Distearate
    General function

    A wax that gives shampoo its pearly look and a slightly richer feel.

    Supporting ingredient

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

    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.

    PubChem
    • opacifier
    • emollient
  • 6 Hydroxyethylcellulose
    General function

    A cellulose thickener that gives gels and conditioners their body and adds a soft, flexible film.

    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.

    PubChem
    • gum
    • thickener
    • film former
  • ▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
  • 7 Ext. Violet 2 (CI 60730) · Violet Pigment (Ext. Violet 2)
    General function

    A certified colour that tints the product itself. It does not colour hair.

    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 suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair

    A violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.

    • colourant
    • direct dye
    • violet dye
  • 8 Conditioning Agents
  • 9 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

What the whole list adds up to

  • 2 emollients
  • 2 thickeners
  • 1 solvent
  • 1 humectant
  • 1 conditioning agent
  • 1 conditioning agent
  • 1 fatty alcohol
  • 1 opacifier
  • 1 gum
  • 1 film former
  • 1 colourant
  • 1 direct dye
  • 1 violet dye
  • 1 fragrance

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

Price · 16 oz

Commonly seen $11–13 Midpoint $12.74 · 3 stores · checked Aug 29
Good value under $21 Under $1.30/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 7 products we score as doing the same job

Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $21 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $46 at this size.

Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it4 listings · 4 stores

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
  1. 16 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.
  2. Commonly seen is the middle half of current prices for the 16 oz at recognised stores — the cheapest quarter and the dearest quarter are left out, so one sale or one overpriced listing can’t move it.
  3. Good value under $21 comes from the 7 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $1.30/oz; at 16 oz that is $21. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
  4. About $46 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 16 oz.

Formula

Formula score
9 of 10

It carries the working systems a conditioner needs and still sits in the lower part of the price range for conditioners per ounce.

How the score is counted
  • Costs less per ounce than 79% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
  • Covers 5 of the 6 things a conditioner should do
  • Drugstore tier, sold at Salons
  • Drugstore tier
  • 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

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.

Not Your Mother'sLowest cost per oz Blonde Moment Purple Conditioner $1.12/oz $0.32/oz more
  • Curly method
  • Silicone-free
  • Alcohol-free
· Close function
Function
  • Water-binding (humectants)
Also
  • Floral scent
  • Cruelty-free
  • Vegan
Compare
GoldwellClose function Dualsenses Blondes & Highlights Anti-yellow Conditioner
Function
  • Film formers
Also
  • Cruelty-free
  • Masstige tier
  • 6.7 oz bottle
Compare
John FriedaClose function Violet Crush for Blondes Conditioner $1.48/oz $0.68/oz more
  • Protein-free
  • Curly method
  • Silicone-free
Function
  • Film formers
Also
  • Floral scent
  • Cruelty-free
  • 8.3 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

Suits every hair pattern

Final decision

Should you buy it?

Good for the right person
Best user

People who want maximum slip — for real detangling slip and moisture that stays in

Biggest tradeoff

Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, vegan and cruelty-free shopping, or anyone who wants to pick it up locally

Best alternative if not

Nothing in our library matches it closely 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.

1
SupportedBacked by ingredients
0
Partly supportedSome supporting logic
3
Stated by brandNo clear evidence
0
Potential conflictFormula works against claim
Neutralizes unwanted yellow and brassy tones

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

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Softens coarse hair and improves manageability

Conditioning agents that reduce combing force sit high in the list.

  • Acetamide MEA
  • Stearalkonium Chloride
  • Cetyl Alcohol
Supported

Easier detangling, less breakage.

Maintains cool blonde and silver tones between color appointments

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

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Conditions without heavy residue

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.

Neutralizes yellow tones and brightens gray or white hair

Gray/silver-hair reviewers

Can leave purple/lavender tint or requires scrubbing if overused

Gray/silver-hair reviewers

Leaves hair softer, shinier, and manageable, though some find it expensive or strongly scented

Exact retailer reviewers

More from Clairol

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 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.

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