Read before you buy

What the package and the regulator say

We carry this product so you can look it up. We do not put it in anyone’s plan, and nothing on this page is matched to you.

What to do first

Do a patch test 48 hours before you use it, following the directions on the package.
A professional application is strongly advised.
Follow the timing on the package exactly and rinse thoroughly when the time is up.

From the package

Do not continue to process if adverse reactions occurs (e.g. itching, burning, rash or any unexpected reaction). Stop and immediately rinse with water.
Quoted from sallybeauty.com, 2026-09-02

Maximum total processing time is 50 minutes.
Quoted from sallybeauty.com, 2026-09-02

From the regulator

Caution - This product contains ingredients which may cause skin irritation on certain individuals and a preliminary test according to accompanying directions should first be made. This product must not be used for dyeing the eyelashes or eyebrows; to do so may cause blindness.
Quoted from fda.gov, 2026-09-02

Applying it

When applying directly to the scalp, do not exceed 20 vol. developer.
Quoted from sallybeauty.com, 2026-09-02

Product image coming soon

Color Brilliance by ion

Powder Lightener

Lightener

Lightener
Cruelty-free · label states

Size1 fl oz

Where to buyBeauty supply

Scent:

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

Not enough priced lighteners to place it

We have not priced enough lighteners to place this one.

Price and stores

Great for

Matte, textured stylesabsorbent powders do the mattifying

Tight budgetsit sits in the lower price tiers

Maybe skip if

this product carries a scent

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 Moderate

Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list.

Oils and butters Present, lower down

Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch.

Water-binding (humectants) Low

Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Hard-water defence Chelators present

Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals.

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.

Ingredient	What it does	Why it matters	Chip
Potassium Persulfate	active	The over-the-counter active	Active
Ammonium Persulfate	active	The over-the-counter active	Active
Sodium Silicate	—	—	Neutral
Magnesium Carbonate	absorbent	—	Neutral
Sodium Stearate	—	—	Neutral
Maltodextrin	absorbent	—	Holds
Sodium Metasilicate	—	—	Neutral
EDTA	hard-water chelator	Binds trace metals	Stabilizes
Fragrance	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin	conditioning agent	Adds slip, lower in the list	Protein

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesFragrance is on the label. Hard-water chelators are present.

Full ingredient list (29)

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 Potassium Persulfate
- active
2 Ammonium Persulfate
- active
3 Sodium Silicate
4 Magnesium Carbonate

General function
A light mineral powder used to soak up oil and keep a powder free-flowing.

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

May suitFine or easily flattened hair
A dry powder takes up oil and adds friction between strands, which is most of what root lift in fine hair actually is.
- absorbent
- powder
- mineral
5 Sodium Stearate
6 Maltodextrin

General function
A starch fragment that soaks up oil and water, which is what puts it in dry shampoos. It also carries spray-dried plant extracts and leaves a light film.

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

May suitFine or easily flattened hair
Takes up oil at the root, which is where fine hair goes flat first.

May suitMaximum-hold styling
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.

DependsCurls or waves needing flexible hold
How rigid the finish is depends on which polymer it is and what the formula pairs with it, not on there being one.
- absorbent
- film former
- binder
7 Sodium Metasilicate
▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
8 EDTA

General function
Binds hard-water metals so they cannot dull hair or destabilise 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.

May suitBuild-up-sensitive routines
Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.

May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair
Copper and iron carried in tap water deposit on the strand and read as a dull, warm cast on gray or light hair. A chelator holds those metals in solution so the wash carries them off.
- hard-water chelator
9 Hydroxyethylcellulose

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

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
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
10 Mineral Oil

General function
A sealing oil that sits on the surface, adds slip and shine, and needs a detergent to remove.

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
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.

International Journal of Trichology
- emollient
- sealant
- oil
11 Potassium Alginate
12 Silica

General function
A fine mineral powder that absorbs oil and adds grip. It is what makes texture powders and matte pastes feel dry to the touch.

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
A dry powder takes up oil and adds friction between strands, which is most of what root lift in fine hair actually is.

PubChem
- powder
- thickener
- mineral
13 Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium
14 Xanthan Gum

General function
A fermented sugar gum that thickens water-based formulas and adds soft, 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
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
15 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
16 Ultramarines
17 Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil

General function
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.

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 thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.

International Journal of Trichology
- oil
- emollient
18 Arginine

General function
An amino acid that holds water and carries a positive charge, so it is drawn to damaged spots on the strand.

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
Amino acids are the smallest protein fraction and bind water as well, so they add far less stiffness than a hydrolysed protein does.

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.

DependsProtein-sensitive hair
The lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.

PubChem
- amino acid
- humectant
19 Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil

General function
A light, widely used oil that softens without much 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
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.

International Journal of Trichology
- oil
- emollient
20 Gardenia Taitensis Flower Extract
- botanical extract
21 Salvia Hispanica Seed Oil

General function
The oil pressed from Salvia Hispanica. How much weight a plant oil leaves depends on the hair it lands on; coarse hair tends to take more of it than fine 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 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.
- oil
- emollient
22 Water
- solvent
23 Hydroxypropylammonium Gluconate

General function
A sugar-derived conditioning agent with a positive charge, used alongside hydroxypropylgluconamide.

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.
- humectant
- conditioning agent
24 Hydroxypropylgluconamide

General function
A sugar-derived conditioning agent used in bond-repair positioned formulas for moisture and slip.

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
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.
- humectant
- conditioning agent
25 Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- vitamin
26 Laurdimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Keratin

General function
A keratin given a positive charge so it deposits where hair is damaged, conditioning and firming in one ingredient.

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 suitMaximum-hold styling
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Hydrolysed fragments are small enough to sit in the gaps of a worn cuticle for a wash or two, temporarily restoring stiffness and cutting breakage in combing.
- conditioning agent
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
27 Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
28 Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
29 Potassium Sorbate
- preservative

What the whole list adds up to

4 film formers
4 emollients
4 oils
3 thickeners
3 humectants
3 preservatives
2 actives
2 absorbents
2 powders
2 minerals
2 gums
2 conditioning agents
1 binder
1 hard-water chelator

Ingredient list captured 2026-09-02. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Formula

Formula score

4 of 10

Too few comparable prices to place it in the range; the formula itself leaves out conditioning agents up front.

How the score is counted

No conditioning agents up front in the formula
No oils or butters in the working zone either
Drugstore tier, sold at Beauty supply
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.

Should you buy it?

Depends on your hair — see who it suits

Best user

Matte, textured styles — for a matte finish and a lower-priced option

Biggest tradeoff

Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance 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.

SupportedBacked by ingredients

Partly supportedSome supporting logic

Stated by brandNo clear evidence

Potential conflictFormula works against claim

Lifts up to 7 levels

We cannot read weight on the strand from what is recorded.

Maltodextrin
Hydroxyethylcellulose
Xanthan Gum

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Gluten-free

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

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Cruelty-free

Our researched record has this brand as cruelty-free.

—

Supported

Matches our researched record.

Dust-free formula

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.

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.
2 sources consulted for this product (1 manufacturer or regulatory, 1 retailer, 0 editorial), last checked 2026-09-02.
Ingredient references are linked for 6 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 2026-09-17.

What the package and the regulator say

Powder Lightener

Read from the label, not the marketing

The ingredients that change a decision

What the whole list adds up to

Similar products

Should you buy it?

What the brand says, against what the formula shows

How this page was made

Your personalized hair plan