Shampoo / Gentle cleanser, gentle
Scent:
Notes: raspberry, sweet.
Listing used for research: ulta.com
Personal fit
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The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
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Your avoid-list
Upper-mid price for a shampoo
$2.57/oz at 8 oz — more than 69% of the 805 shampoos , which mostly run $0.81–3.01/oz. The cost less.
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.
Removes light dirt and oil without stripping.
A thin, quick-collapsing lather.
Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula.
Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here.
No over-the-counter scalp active.
No chelating agent in the list.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterPurified Water | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Cocamidopropyl Betaine | amphoteric cleanser | — | Cleanses |
| Glycerin | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| Glycol Stearate | opacifier | Makes the product look creamy | Softens |
| Polyquaternium-10 | conditioning agent | Puts conditioning back as it washes | Detangles |
| Certified Organic Blueberry Fruit Extract | botanical extract | A plant extract, marketed as much as functional | Neutral |
| Certified Organic Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice | botanical extract | A plant extract, marketed as much as functional | Neutral |
| Certified Organic Anthemis Nobilis Flower (Chamomile) Extract | botanical extract | A plant extract, marketed as much as functional | Neutral |
| Hydrolyzed Soy Protein | film former | A supporting film former | Protein |
| Fragrance | 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 mild coconut-derived co-cleanser that boosts foam and softens the effect of stronger detergents. It appears in most shampoos, gentle or not.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
Mild cleansing leaves more surface lubrication in place on hair that dries out quickly.
The mildest detergents are also the least complete: a routine that deposits films needs something stronger periodically.
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.
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.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
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.
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.
A wax that makes shampoo look pearly and adds a slightly richer feel.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A cellulose-based conditioning polymer that leaves a thin, static-reducing film. Very common in shampoos as the ingredient that keeps them from stripping.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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.
An extract from the fruit of Certified Organic. Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
The juice pressed from Certified Organic's leaf. Used in place of some of the water in a formula, so it often sits high on the list.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
An extract of Certified Organic. Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A plant protein used for body and moisture retention.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
Filling surface gaps evens out the cuticle, which is part of what makes damaged hair comb and reflect light more like undamaged hair.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
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.
A conditioning polymer that improves wet combing and adds body. Repeated use can build up on fine hair.
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 coconut-derived thickener that stabilises foam and adds body to a cleanser.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
A secondary detergent adjusts foam and mildness rather than deciding how much a wash removes; read the primary detergent above it.
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.
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.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Holds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the 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.
Where a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.
Ingredient list captured 2024-02-22. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 8 oz
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 $11 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
A complete read of the format at an ordinary price: mid-range per ounce among shampoos, with the working systems present.
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 — for washing without sulfates and gentle cleansing without foam
Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, heavy buildup that needs a clarifying wash, or anyone who wants a squeaky-clean feel
As I Am Rice Water Shampoo, 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.
Rich and creamy sulfate-free cleanser guaranteed to soften the driest kink, hydrate the driest curl and encourage healthy scalp and hair growth
No sulfate detergents appear in the ingredient list.
—
Gentler on colour and coils.
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.
Nourishes and softens curls while detangling and restoring curl pattern
Wavy/curly exact-SKU reviewersBlueberry/raspberry scent and low-lather cleansing are recurring positives for some users
Exact Ulta/iHerb reviewersFine or wavy users report greasy roots, coating, frizz, or an overly sweet scent
Fine/wavy exact-SKU reviewers
