Agave & Lavender Serum
Finisher / Serum, glossing
- Finisher
- serum
- Sulfate-free
- Protein-free
- Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent:
The ingredient list declares fragrance. What it smells of is not stated, and we do not guess.
Strength: Light
Manufacturer page: designessentials.com
Personal fit
Is this right for you?
Complete the consultation to see exactly how well this product fits your hair and your goals. With 2,400+ products in our library we can match exactly the right products to you.
- In 10 minutes we can identify your exact hair condition and traits.
- Every product matched against your hair across the 23 factors we check.
- A personalized routine for your daily life — your schedule, styling habits, and local weather.
- Find products that do the same job at a lower cost.
- Your goals, scalp, damage history, water, budget, and scent preferences all shape your plan.
$49.00 one-time consultation, no subscription
Add the optional $49/year membership for unlimited adjustments for changes in weather and lifestyle.
Show all 23 factors we check
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
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.
Start your consultation$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.
Your avoid-list
Lower cost than most serums
$2.25/oz at 4 oz — less than 89% of the 77 serums , which mostly run $3.25–14.50/oz.
Great for
Maybe skip if
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.
A silicone or oil blend does the shine work here.
Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair.
No oils or butters in the list.
Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.
No fast-drying alcohol in the list.
Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isopropyl Palmitate | light ester | Light slip without much weight | Shine |
| C13-15 Alkane | emollient | Softens and smooths the strand | Shine |
| Dimethiconol | silicone | The shine system | Buildup |
| Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract | botanical extract | A plant extract, marketed as much as functional | Neutral |
| Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract | botanical extract | A plant extract, marketed as much as functional | Neutral |
| Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract | botanical extract | A plant extract, marketed as much as functional | Neutral |
| Mangifera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract | botanical extract | A plant extract, marketed as much as functional | Neutral |
| Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate | UV filter | Absorbs UV | Neutral |
| Fragrance | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
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
Isopropyl Palmitate
General function
A light ester that spreads quickly and leaves a smooth, non-greasy feel.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChemMay suitFine or easily flattened hairA light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairSpreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
- light ester
- emollient
-
2
C13-15 Alkane
General function
A plant-derived light alkane used as a clean-feeling replacement for silicone or mineral oil.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairEmollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
- emollient
- solvent
-
3
Dimethiconol
General function
A high-shine silicone often paired with dimethicone for a smoother, glossier finish.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChemMay suitClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hairA surface film slows how quickly humidity reaches the cortex, which is what limits swelling-driven frizz in damp air.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairLays a smooth film along the cuticle, which lowers combing friction and flattens the surface irregularities that read as frizz.
May not suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesDimethicone does not disperse in water. On a routine that skips detergent it stays on the hair and accumulates wash after wash.
- silicone
- emollient
-
4
Agave Tequilana Leaf Extract
General function
An extract from the leaf of Agave Tequilana. Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- botanical extract
-
5
Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Flower Extract
General function
Lavender extract, used at low levels for scent association and a calming claim.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- botanical extract
-
6
Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Seed Extract
General function
An extract from the seed of Grape (Vitis Vinifera). Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- botanical extract
-
7
Mangifera Indica (Mango) Fruit Extract
General function
An extract from the fruit of Mango (Mangifera Indica). Plant extracts are used across a wide range of levels, and label order is the best guide to how much is here.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- botanical extract
-
8
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
General function
A UV filter added to protect the product's colour and, in leave-ins, to slow colour fade.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
PubChemMay suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hairSunlight oxidises hair pigment, and on gray, silver or lightened hair that shows up as yellowing. A UV filter on the label absorbs some of the light that drives it.
- UV filter
- ▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
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 zoneIt 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 routinesDeclared 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
- 4 botanical extracts
- 3 emollients
- 1 light ester
- 1 solvent
- 1 silicone
- 1 UV filter
- 1 fragrance
- 1 declared fragrance
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-27. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 4 oz
Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $16 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $21 at this size.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it4 listings · 4 stores
-
Walmart
$8.974 oz · $2.24/ozAug 30Lowest per oz
-
Design Essentials (DTC)
$8.994 oz · $2.25/ozAug 27
-
Ulta Beauty
$8.994 oz · $2.25/ozAug 30
-
Design Essentials
$8.994 oz · $2.25/ozAug 30
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
- 4 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.
- Commonly seen is the middle half of current prices for the 4 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.
- Good value under $16 comes from the 7 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $4.05/oz; at 4 oz that is $16. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- About $21 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 4 oz.
Formula
It carries the working systems a serum needs and still sits in the lower part of the price range for serums per ounce.
How the score is counted
- Costs less per ounce than 89% of the 77 serums we’ve priced
- Covers 5 of the 6 things a serum should do
- Reviewers mention 3 things they like about how it performs
- Drugstore tier, sold at Ulta and Brand website
- A shine systemThe silicone, oil, or ester that produces gloss.3 pts
- A weightless carrierDelivers the shine without leaving grease.2 pts
- Oils or butters in the working zoneSoftens the strand rather than just coating it.2 pts
- An antioxidantKeeps the oils in the bottle from going off.1 pt
- No drying alcohol in the first threeFast drying without leading on alcohol.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.
- Protein-free
- Shine
- Alcohol-free
- Differs
- Fragrance-free
- Unscented
- Protein-free
- Function
- Also
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 suitsHair that stiffens on protein — for a protein-free formula and shine
Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance or curly-method routines
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.
Reviewers
What people report
Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.
Shiny, lightweight, no buildup
Light texture, pleasant scent, no weigh-down
Small amount goes a long way
Shipping damage complaint
More from Design Essentials
- Agave & Lavender Moisturizing & Detangling Conditioner
- Almond & Avocado Moisturizing & Detangling Conditioner
- Almond Butter Express Instant Moisturizing Conditioner
- Milk & Honey 6N1 Reconstructive Conditioner
- Peppermint & Aloe Soothing Scalp Care Conditioner
- Rosemary & Mint Stimulating Super Moisturizing Conditioner
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.
- 1 source consulted for this product (1 manufacturer or regulatory, 0 retailer, 0 editorial), last checked 2026-08-27.
- Ingredient references are linked for 3 of 5 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 2026-08-28.