97% improved manageability of hair
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Co-wash / Low-lather cleanser, non-foaming
Scent:
Notes: menthol, mint, tea tree.
Manufacturer page: dermae.com
Personal fit
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The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
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Your avoid-list
Priced with its peers
$1.40/oz at 12 oz — less than 70% of the 94 co-washes , which mostly run $1.08–2.77/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.
No detergent — the conditioners do the cleaning.
Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula.
Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch.
Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here.
Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
No protein or amino acids in the list.
No fragrance is listed.
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 |
| Cetyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Body and cleansing feel — not a drying alcohol | Softens |
| Stearalkonium Chloride | conditioning agent | Does the cleaning here — a co-wash cleans with conditioners | Detangles |
| Behentrimonium Chloride | conditioning agent | Does the cleaning here — a co-wash cleans with conditioners | Detangles |
| Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Moisturizes |
| Cetearyl Glucoside | emulsifier | Keeps oil and water mixed | Stabilizes |
| Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride | conditioning agent | Does the cleaning here — a co-wash cleans with conditioners | Detangles |
| Panthenol | humectant | Pulls water into the hair | Detangles |
| Menthol | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil | 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 fatty alcohol used to thicken creams and add slip. It softens rather than dries.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
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.
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.
A long-standing conditioning agent that flattens the cuticle and cuts static. It rinses less completely than newer alternatives.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.
The class that does the detangling in a conditioner. It deposits lubrication where the cuticle is worn.
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.
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.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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.
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.
Aloe gel, used for light moisture and slip. High in the list it also contributes a little natural hold.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Gums thicken and set soft, which gives definition that bends rather than a rigid cast.
Hydration with no oil attached, so it adds very little weight even high on a list.
Aloe is mostly water carrying sugars that bind more of it, which is why it turns up as the base of moisture-first formulas.
A sugar-and-fatty-alcohol emulsifier used to build creams without ethoxylation.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A conditioning polymer made from guar bean gum. It deposits during rinsing, which is why sulfate shampoos can still leave hair soft.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Gums thicken and set soft, which gives definition that bends rather than a rigid cast.
Cationic conditioners bind to the negatively charged damaged cuticle, laying it flat and cutting the friction that causes combing breakage.
A styling polymer dries into a film across the strands, which is what makes a shape hold instead of relax.
Provitamin B5. It draws in water and penetrates the strand a little, which is why it is the standard ingredient for softness and shine claims.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
It hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
A humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.
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.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the 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.
Argan oil. A medium-weight oil used for shine and softness on the outside of the strand.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
A medium-weight oil used for softness and slip.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
A rich oil used in masks and heavier creams for softness on coarse or dry hair.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
A light oil used where softness is wanted without weight.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
Flaxseed oil, used for softness; the seed extract is used instead for natural hold.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
A plant-derived light ester used where a silicone-free but silky feel is wanted.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.
Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
Tamanu oil, a thick oil used in small amounts in scalp and repair products.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
Produces the cooling, tingling feeling on the scalp. The sensation is real; it is not evidence that anything else is happening.
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.
Cornmint oil, used for a cooling sensation and mint scent.
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.
A strong base used in trace amounts to raise pH; fully neutralised in the finished product.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
The alkali half of a pH-adjusting pair, used in small amounts to bring a formula up to its target rather than to make it alkaline. Alkaline conditions raise the fibre's surface charge and lift the scales — but the finished pH is not 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.
A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-30. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 12 oz
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $9 line; products that do this job typically go for about $17 at this size.
Formula
A complete read of the format at an ordinary price: mid-range per ounce among co-washes, 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
People sensitive to fragrance — for a formula with no added fragrance and washing without sulfates
Less suited to anyone sensitive to fragrance, anyone who wants a squeaky-clean feel, or anyone who needs to clarify regularly
Eden BodyWorks Lavender Aloe Moisturizing Cowash — 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.
97% improved manageability of hair
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Boosts hydration, softness, and shine
Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.
Helps hair feel hydrated.
Smooths frizz for silky, weightless waves, curls, and coils
Oils and polymers can smooth a little; the stronger smoothing agents are not listed.
Some smoothing, in dry air.
Lather-free hydrating conditioner doubles as a co-wash with a cooling tingle to soothe scalp
Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.
Helps hair feel hydrated.
Clinically proven and dermatologist recommended
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows 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
Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.
Reviewers use it specifically to get through a non-wash day - it lifts oil at the roots and leaves the ends conditioned, which they say a full shampoo would have stripped
Target reviewers with fine wavy and fine curly hairCurly reviewers report it detangles easily in the shower and dries into smooth, non-frizzy clumps, with a couple saying it outperformed noticeably pricier curl brands they already own
Target reviewers, fine curly hairA recurring packaging complaint: the pump cannot move the thick product once the bottle is a third to half empty, so reviewers end up banging the bottle in the shower or writing off the rest
Target reviewers with long hair who go through a lot per washSeveral reviewers describe long stock-outs and one retailer dropping the line, and say they are stockpiling bottles because they are worried it will be discontinued
Target repeat buyers of the whole Clean Curls lineThe menthol splits the room: some reviewers love the cooling tingle on the scalp, while others say it stings or burns badly enough to give the bottle away, or simply find the mint smell off-putting
Target reviewers, both 5-star and 1-star