Matrix

Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask

Mask / Weekly treatment, oil-rich

Mask / treatment
Sulfate-free
Silicone-free
Protein-free
Vegan · label states
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed

Size16.9 fl oz

Price$26.57 Good valueseen at one store · 16.9 oz

Price / oz$1.57/ozat 16.9 oz

Where to buy1 store

Scent:

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

Manufacturer page: matrix.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Factor Your profile Fit

Best for hair types All types Not in your profile

Moisture level Moderate Not in your profile

Slip / detangling High Not in your profile

Weight on hair Medium Not in your profile

Fragrance Prominent 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

Parabens / preservatives None of these listed Not in your profile

Essential oils None listed Not in your profile

Show all 20 factors we check

The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.

Fast-drying alcohol None Not in your profile

Vegan / cruelty-free Vegan · label statesNot cruelty-free · PETA-listed 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 None Not in your profile

UV filter Present Not in your profile

pH adjusted Adjusted Not in your profile

Ingredient list 21 ingredientsAbout average Not in your profile

Price tier Salon Not in your profile

Where to buy it Salons · Grocery / mass Not in your profile

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.

Lower cost than most masks and treatments

$1.57/oz at 16.9 oz — less than 78% of the 341 masks and treatments , which mostly run $1.63–5.59/oz.

Price and stores

Great for

Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added

Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet

Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones

Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list

Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list

Sun and colour fadea UV filter is in the list

Maybe skip if

this product carries a scent

Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list

Very dry hairno humectant appears in the list

Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here

Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers

Whether your hair needs moisture, protein, or bond repair right now depends on your damage history and how your hair behaves wet — 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.

Oils and butters Present, high in the list

Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula.

Weight on the hair Medium

Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair.

Protein None

No protein or amino acids in the list.

Water-binding (humectants) None found

No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair.

Slip and detangling High

Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Fragrance Prominent

Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula.

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
WaterAqua/Water/Eau	solvent	The base everything else is dissolved in	Neutral
Cetearyl Alcohol	fatty alcohol	Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol	Softens
Paraffinum Liquidum/Mineral Oil/Huile Minerale	emollient	Softens and smooths the strand	Heavy
Dipalmitoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate	conditioning agent	Conditions and softens — this is what makes it comb through	Detangles
Cetyl Esters	light ester	Light slip without much weight	Softens
Cetrimonium Chloride	conditioning agent	Conditions and softens — this is what makes it comb through	Detangles
FragranceParfum/Fragrance	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Ext. Violet 2 (CI 60730)CI 60730/Ext. Violet 2	colourant	Colours the product, not the hair	Neutral
Limonene	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Hexyl Cinnamal	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Linalool	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Benzyl Salicylate	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesNo sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols. Protein-free: this is built for moisture rather than for strengthening. Contains fragrance.

Full ingredient list (21)

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 Water · Aqua/Water/Eau

General function
The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- solvent
2 Cetearyl Alcohol

General function
A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

May suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair
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.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.

DependsFine or easily flattened hair
Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.

PubChem
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
3 Paraffinum Liquidum/Mineral Oil/Huile Minerale

General function
Mineral oil. It seals the surface and adds slip, and takes detergent to remove.

Leading ingredient
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.

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.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Forms a physical barrier on the strand that slows water leaving it. Nothing else in a formula holds moisture in as bluntly.
- emollient
- sealant
- oil
4 Dipalmitoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate

General function
A biodegradable conditioning agent used for detangling in rich conditioners.

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

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.

PubChem
- conditioning agent
5 Cetyl Esters

General function
A waxy ester blend that replaces spermaceti in creams. It thickens and leaves a smooth, non-greasy finish.

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 light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
- light ester
- emollient
- thickener
6 Cetrimonium Chloride

General function
A quick-acting conditioning agent that reduces static and combing force. It also helps keep the formula stable.

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
The C16 quat binds mostly by charge rather than by chain, so it deposits measurably less than the C22 ones. Less deposit is less conditioning and also less weight, which is usually the trade fine hair wants.

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.

DependsBuild-up-sensitive routines
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.

International Journal of Cosmetic Science
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
7 Fragrance · Parfum/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
8 Ext. Violet 2 (CI 60730) · CI 60730/Ext. Violet 2

General function
A certified colour that tints the product itself. It does not colour 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 suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair
A violet or blue colorant sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel, so a trace of it deposited on the surface makes a warm cast read cooler. It washes out over the following few washes.
- colourant
- direct dye
- violet dye
9 Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
10 Chlorhexidine Digluconate
- preservative
11 Limonene

General function
A citrus-smelling fragrance component that EU rules require to be named separately because some people react to 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
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.

PubChem
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
12 Hexyl Cinnamal

General function
A jasmine-like fragrance component named separately as a recognised allergen.

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
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.

PubChem
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
13 Linalool

General function
A floral fragrance component listed separately as a recognised contact allergen.

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
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.

PubChem
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
14 Benzyl Salicylate

General function
A soft floral fragrance component listed separately as a recognised allergen.

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
One of the 26 scent components the EU requires to be named individually above a threshold. It is named because it is a known contact allergen, not because it is unusual.

PubChem
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
15 Citric Acid

General function
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.

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
Holds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the hair.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction 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.

May suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair
Where a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.

International Journal of Trichology
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
16 Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
17 Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate

General function
A UV filter added to protect the product's colour and, in leave-ins, to slow colour fade.

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 suitGray, silver, or brass-prone hair
Sunlight 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.

PubChem
- UV filter
18 Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil · Glycine Soja Oil/Soybean Oil

General function
A light plant oil used to soften and carry other oil-based ingredients.

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
19 Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- vitamin
20 BHT
- antioxidant
21 Sodium Hydroxide

General function
A strong base used in trace amounts to raise pH; fully neutralised in the finished product.

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.

DependsFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
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.

International Journal of Trichology
- pH adjuster

What the whole list adds up to

5 fragrances
4 emollients
4 named fragrance allergens
3 preservatives
2 solvents
2 thickeners
2 oils
2 conditioning agents
2 pH adjusters
2 antioxidants
1 fatty alcohol
1 sealant
1 light ester
1 cleanser

Ingredient list captured 2026-09-12. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 16.9 oz

Seen at $26.57 1 store · checked Sep 12

Good value under $71 Under $4.21/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $71 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $98 at this size.

Show the price ladder

Price for 16.9 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store

Walmart
$26.57

16.9 oz · $1.57/oz

Sep 12Lowest per oz

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

16.9 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 $26.57 is the price we have observed for the 16.9 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
Good value under $71 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $4.21/oz; at 16.9 oz that is $71. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
About $98 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 16.9 oz.

Formula

Formula score

5 of 10

The formula covers the core of what a treatment does, and it costs less per ounce than most masks and treatments in our library.

How the score is counted

Costs less per ounce than 78% of the 341 masks and treatments we’ve priced
No protein or amino acids in the formula
Salon tier, sold at Salons and Grocery / mass
Salon tier

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 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.

KerastaseClosest function Blond Absolu Masque Ultra-Violet $9.07/oz $7.50/oz more

Protein-free
Curly method
Silicone-free

Function: Water-binding (humectants)
Also: Floral scent
Prestige tier
6.8 oz bottle

Compare

DavinesLowest cost per oz LOVE SMOOTHING Mask $5.33/oz $3.76/oz more

Protein-free
Curly method
Silicone-free

· Related function

Function: Water-binding (humectants)
Hard-water defence
Film formers
Also: Floral scent
Cruelty-free
Prestige tier

Compare

OribeFragrance-free Bright Blonde Radiance & Repair Treatment $10.85/oz $9.28/oz more

Fragrance-free
Unscented
Protein

· Related function

Function: Slip and detangling
Protein
Also: Unscented
Cruelty-free
Prestige tier

Compare

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 suits

Best user

Hair that stiffens on protein — for a protein-free formula and real detangling slip

Biggest tradeoff

Less suited to anyone sensitive to fragrance, soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein, or very dry hair looking for 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, 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

Highly pigmented blue-violet pigments to effectively reduce brassy/orange tones

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

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Customizable toning system (3 or 5 minute dwell for subtle vs maximum neutralization)

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

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Repairs and protects fragile hair

No protein or bond ingredient appears in the list.

Dipalmitoylethyl Hydroxyethylmonium Methosulfate
Cetrimonium Chloride

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

Up to 10X less breakage when used as complete system

A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.

—

Stated by brand

Only the brand’s testing shows this.

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.

Reviewers

What people report

Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.

Several reviewers say the mask did nothing noticeable for their brassy or orange tones despite following the directions exactly.

Many reviewers who liked the mask report it left their hair feeling noticeably softer, shinier, and less brassy after a single use.

Multiple reviewers describe pairing this mask with the Brass Off shampoo and conditioner as one complete toning system.

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.
4 sources consulted for this product (0 manufacturer or regulatory, 0 retailer, 4 editorial), last checked 2026-09-12.
Ingredient references are linked for 10 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 2026-09-12.

Brass Off Custom Neutralization Mask

Is this right for you?

Read from the label, not the marketing

The ingredients that change a decision

What the whole list adds up to

Should you buy it?

What the brand says, against what the formula shows

What people report

More from Matrix

How this page was made

Your personalized hair plan