remove hard water minerals, environmental and product buildup
Chelating agents that bind water minerals are present.
- Sodium Gluconate
- Disodium EDTA
Supported
Handles mineral-heavy water.
Sizes & containers
1 packet · sachet · No store price at this size yet · UPC 757088159006
Malibu C
Crystal Gel
Mask / Gel, lean
- Mask / treatment
- gel
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
- Vegan · label states
- Cruelty-free · label states
Size1 packetusual store size · 2 sizes
Price$32.40seen at one store · 0.17 oz
Where to buy3 stores · $5.98–35.88
Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.
Scent:
No added fragrance, no scenting essential oils, and no declared fragrance allergens on the list.
“no preservatives, parabens, glycol, gluten, fragrance” (Brand page)
Manufacturer page: malibuc.com
Personal fit
Is this right for you?
Complete the consultation to see how well this product fits your hair and your goals. With 6,000+ products in our library, we can match you to the right ones.
- About 20 minutes, and your answers save as you go.
- Every product matched against your hair across the 22 factors we check.
- A personalized routine built around 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 with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates
$99 with 12 months. Pay once; the year renews only if you choose.
Factor
Your profile
Fit
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily
Not in your profile
Moisture level
None found
Not in your profile
Oils and butters
None
Not in your profile
Slip / detangling
Little
Not in your profile
Weight on hair
Light
Not in your profile
Fragrance
None listed
Not in your profile
Protein
None
Not in your profile
Silicone / wax buildup
None
Not in your profile
Clarifying wash needed
Low
Not in your profile
Scent
Unscented
Not in your profile
Show all 22 factors we check
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
Parabens / preservatives
None of these listed
Not in your profile
Essential oils
None listed
Not in your profile
Fast-drying alcohol
None
Not in your profile
Vegan / cruelty-free
Vegan · label statesCruelty-free · label states
Not in your profile
Animal-derived ingredients
Vegan · label states
Not in your profile
Heavy humectants
Not heavy
Not in your profile
Hard-water defence
High
Not in your profile
UV filter
None listed
Not in your profile
pH adjusted
No adjuster listed
Not in your profile
Ingredient list
4 ingredientsA short list
Not in your profile
Price tier
Drugstore
Not in your profile
Where to buy it
Brand website · Salons
Not in your profile
The consultation builds your hair profile, checks every factor in this table against it, and tells you where this product fits or what to use instead.
Start your consultation$49 once, with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates. Nothing renews, and you never have to buy a product.
Your avoid-list
Not enough priced masks and treatments to place it
We have not priced enough masks and treatments to place this one.
Great for
no fragrance (parfum) on the label
free of strong smells
Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Fine hairthat flattens under most products
Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Maybe skip if
Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
Hair that tangles wetnothing here makes combing easier
Very dry hairno humectant appears in the list
Coarse, very dry hairthis is a light formula for its category
If scent matters to younothing is added here
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.
Oils and butters
None
No oils or butters in the list.
Weight on the hair
Light
Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair.
Protein
None
No protein or amino acids in the list.
Water-binding (humectants)
None found
No humectants, so nothing here pulls water into the hair.
Slip and detangling
Little
Nothing here is built to reduce combing force.
Needs detergent to remove
No
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
Fragrance
None listed
No fragrance is listed.
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. The 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium Gluconate | hard-water chelator | Binds hard-water minerals | Stabilizes |
| Ascorbic Acid | antioxidant | Protects the oils from going off | Stabilizes |
| Disodium EDTA | hard-water chelator | Binds hard-water minerals | Stabilizes |
| Xanthan Gum | gum | Natural hold and clump definition | Holds |
What the list leaves out, and what it carriesThe list carries no sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols. No protein: a moisture formula, not a repair one. Hard-water chelators are present. Vegan and cruelty-free.
Full ingredient list (4)
In the US, ingredients above 1% are listed from most to least. Below 1% they can appear in any order. Each note keeps three things apart: what the ingredient generally does, its role in this type of product, and what its position can tell you.
-
1
Sodium Gluconate
General function
A gentle, biodegradable chelator that binds hard-water minerals in place of EDTA.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChemMay suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesBinds 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 hairCopper 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
-
2
Ascorbic Acid
General function
Vitamin C, used as an antioxidant and, in some treatments, to help remove mineral build-up.
Leading ingredientPubChemListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- antioxidant
- vitamin
-
3
Disodium EDTA
General function
Grabs metal ions from hard water so they cannot dull the hair or destabilise the formula.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChemMay suitBuild-up-sensitive routinesBinds 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 hairCopper 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
-
4
Xanthan Gum
General function
A fermented sugar gum that thickens water-based formulas and adds soft, natural hold.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
May suitCurls or waves needing flexible holdA 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 hairA soft film binds neighbouring strands together, which is most of what helps flyaways lie down.
May not suitMaximum-hold stylingGum films stay soft. A style that needs firm fixation usually wants a synthetic polymer doing the holding.
- gum
- thickener
- film former
What the whole list adds up to
- 2 hard-water chelators
- 1 antioxidant
- 1 vitamin
- 1 gum
- 1 thickener
- 1 film former
Ingredient list captured 2026-10-12. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 0.17 oz
Seen at
$32.40
Good value under
$0
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $0 line; products that do this job typically go for about $0 at this size.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it3 listings · 3 stores
-
Malibu C (malibuc.com)
$5.980.17 oz · $35.18/ozOct 21Lowest per oz
-
Marlo Beauty Supply
$32.400.17 oz · $190.59/ozOct 22
-
PinkPro Beauty Supply
$35.880.17 oz · $211.06/ozOct 22
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. and 2 listings we don’t count, from grey-market or unverified sellers.
How we work this out
- 0.17 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.
- Seen at $32.40 is the price we have observed for the 0.17 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
- Good value under $0 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $1.28/oz; at 0.17 oz that is $0. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- About $0 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 0.17 oz.
Formula
1
Formula score
1 of 10
Too few comparable prices to place it in the range; the formula itself leaves out rich emollients.
How the score is counted
- No rich emollients in the formula
- No conditioning agents up front either
- Reviewers mention 2 things they like about how it performs
- Drugstore tier, sold at Brand website and Salons
- Rich emollientsThe depth a treatment step is built around.3 pts
- Conditioning agents up frontWhat makes wet hair comb through.2 pts
- Protein or amino acidsThe strengthening side of a treatment.2 pts
- A humectantBinds water into the hair.1 pt
- A stated dwell timeThe brand says how long to leave it on.1 pt
- Fragrance kept out of the top eightScent as a finishing touch, not a major share.1 pt
The formula score measures completeness for the job: a weighted share of the systems this product type is usually built around that we find in this list. It does not rate how well the product works or its quality, and it never compares across product types.
Does the same job
Formulas that do the same things (cleanse, condition, coat or hold) for less per ounce. Scent, texture and where you buy them can still differ.
Maria NilaLowest cost per oz
Head & Hair Heal Masque
$1.29/oz
- Vegan & CF
- Function
- Also
See more alternatives in the product library
These products do a similar job. We haven’t matched them to you. Find the one that fits your hair, routine and budget
Final decision
Should you buy it?
Depends on your hair: see who it suitsBest user
People sensitive to fragrance, looking for a formula with no added fragrance and a product with no scent
Biggest tradeoff
Not ideal for soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein, hair that tangles the moment it is wet, or very dry hair that needs water-binding
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, and what the formula shows
Claims are quoted from the brand. We mark a claim supported, partly supported or conflicting only when the ingredient list speaks to it. Everything else stays "stated by the brand". That isn’t a criticism: most claims can’t be checked from a label.
3
SupportedBacked by ingredients
0
Partly supportedSome supporting logic
2
Stated by brandNo clear evidence
0
Potential conflictFormula works against claim
primes hair before chemical services
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Stated by brand
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Vegan
Our researched record has this brand or product as vegan.
—
Supported
Matches our researched record.
Cruelty-free
Our researched record has this brand as cruelty-free.
—
Supported
Matches our researched record.
no preservatives, parabens, glycol, gluten, fragrance
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 at the marketing. If the list doesn't speak to a claim, we don't assume.
Reviewers
What people report
Themes that come up again and again in sourced reviews, written by our researchers in their own words. We don’t store or scrape star ratings.
Reviewers say it clearly removes hard-water mineral deposits and product buildup, leaving hair softer and shinier, and one stylist uses it on clients several times a year.
stylists and a hard-water user on the brand siteSalon users apply it before color or other chemical services because they feel it preps the hair and makes the service work better.
stylists and long-term users on the brand siteMore from Malibu C
How this page was made
- Everything above comes from our researched product record: identity, the ingredient list as printed, the brand's own claims, dated prices and review themes our researchers wrote in their own words. No part of this page is written by hand for one 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 (2 manufacturer or regulatory, 1 retailer, 2 editorial), last checked 2026-10-22.
- Ingredient references are linked for 2 of 3 product-aware annotations on this page. Fit notes are general formulation guidance. They aren’t a verdict on the finished product or on you.
- We haven’t tested this product in a lab, and we don’t physically test your hair. Formula readings come from the ingredient list. Claims about how it behaves are labelled as the brand's.
- Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are what we saw on the dates shown and can change.
- 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 v23. Record last updated 2026-10-22.
