Pacifica Turmeric Guava Thick and Smooth Hair Food Serum — 1 oz container

Pacifica

Turmeric Guava Thick and Smooth Hair Food Serum

Finisher / Serum, lean

Finisher
serum
Vegan · label states
Cruelty-free · label states

Size1 fl oz

Price$16seen at one store · 1 oz

Price / oz$16.00/ozat 1 oz

Where to buy3 stores · $16.00–16.00

Scent:

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

Listing used for research: ulta.com

Personal fit

Is this right for you?

Factor Your profile Fit

Best for hair types All types Not in your profile

Moisture level High Not in your profile

Oils and butters None Not in your profile

Slip / detangling Little Not in your profile

Fragrance Present Not in your profile

Silicone / wax buildup None Not in your profile

Clarifying wash needed Low Not in your profile

Parabens / preservatives Not determined Not in your profile

Essential oils Not determined Not in your profile

Vegan / cruelty-free Vegan · label statesCruelty-free · label states Not in your profile

Show all 18 factors we check

The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.

Animal-derived ingredients Vegan · label states Not in your profile

Aerosol can Not determined Not in your profile

Needs heat to set Not determined Not in your profile

Heavy humectants Heavy Not in your profile

UV filter None listed Not in your profile

Ingredient list 25 ingredientsAbout average Not in your profile

Price tier Masstige Not in your profile

Where to buy it Specialty beautyOne channel 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.

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Priced above most serums

$16.00/oz at 1 oz — more than 80% of the 77 serums , which mostly run $3.25–14.50/oz.

Price and stores

Great for

Vegan and cruelty-freeour researched record has it as both

Maybe skip if

this product carries a scent

Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm

Hair that reads dullno recognised shine system in the list

Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you

Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only

Whether a finisher this rich will read as shine or as grease depends on your strand thickness and oil rate — 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 None

No oils or butters in the list.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Fragrance Present

Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.

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
Aqua (Eau)	—	—	Neutral
Panthenol	humectant	Pulls water into the hair	Detangles
Propanediol	humectant	Pulls water into the hair	Moisturizes
Dextran	—	—	Neutral
Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3	—	—	Neutral
Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Flower	—	—	Neutral
Xanthan Gum	gum	Natural hold and clump definition	Holds
Sodium Benzoate	preservative	Keeps the product from spoiling	Stabilizes
Caffeine	active	A secondary active	Active
FragranceParfum (Natural)	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance

What the list leaves out, and what it carriesContains fragrance. Recorded as vegan and cruelty-free.

Full ingredient list (25)

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 Aqua (Eau)
2 Panthenol

General function
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.

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

May suitFine or easily flattened hair
It hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.

May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
A humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.

PubChem
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
3 Propanediol

General function
A corn-derived humectant and solvent, often chosen as a lighter-feeling alternative to propylene glycol.

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

May suitFine or easily flattened hair
Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it hydrates without contributing weight.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.

PubChem
- humectant
- solvent
4 Dextran
5 Acetyl Tetrapeptide-3
6 Trifolium Pratense (Clover) Flower
7 Xanthan Gum

General function
A fermented sugar gum that thickens water-based formulas and adds soft, natural hold.

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

May suitCurls or waves needing flexible hold
A 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 hair
A soft film binds neighbouring strands together, which is most of what keeps flyaways lying down without stiffness.

May not suitMaximum-hold styling
Gum films stay soft. A style that needs firm fixation usually wants a synthetic polymer doing the holding.
- gum
- thickener
- film former
▾Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
8 Sodium Benzoate

General function
A food-grade preservative that works only in acidic formulas, which is why it usually appears alongside citric acid.

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.
PubChem
- preservative
9 Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
10 Ethylhexylglycerin

General function
A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.

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 suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hair
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

PubChem
- preservative
- emollient
11 Sodium Hyaluronate

General function
A large water-binding molecule that sits on the surface holding moisture.

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
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
A humectant moves water in whichever direction the air allows: it holds moisture in humid conditions and can pull it back out of hair in very dry ones.
- humectant
12 Serenoa Serrulata Fruit Extract · Serenoa Serrulata (Saw Palmetto) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
13 Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
- antioxidant
14 Arginine

General function
An amino acid that holds water and carries a positive charge, so it is drawn to damaged spots on the strand.

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 suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Amino acids are the smallest protein fraction and bind water as well, so they add far less stiffness than a hydrolysed protein does.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.

DependsProtein-sensitive hair
The lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.

PubChem
- amino acid
- humectant
15 Lactic Acid

General function
An acid used to set pH and, in scalp products, to loosen flakes.

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
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
A humectant moves water in whichever direction the air allows: it holds moisture in humid conditions and can pull it back out of hair in very dry ones.

PubChem
- pH adjuster
- humectant
- exfoliant
16 Glycine Soja (Soybean) Germ Extract
- botanical extract
17 Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract
- botanical extract
18 Scutellaria Baicalensis (Chinese Skullcap) Root Extract
19 Caffeine
- active
20 Psidium Guajava Seed Oil
21 Biotin
- vitamin
22 Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract
- botanical extract
- antioxidant
23 Butylene Glycol

General function
A light humectant and carrier that helps extracts dissolve.

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 suitFine or easily flattened hair
Light and water-binding rather than oily, so it hydrates without contributing weight.

May suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
A small water-binding solvent. It holds moisture and helps the rest of the formula spread evenly over the strand.

DependsClimate-sensitive or frizz-prone hair
A humectant follows the air: it holds water in humid conditions and can give it up in very dry ones. Climate decides what it does more than the label does.

PubChem
- humectant
- solvent
24 Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- vitamin
25 Fragrance · Parfum (Natural)

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

What the whole list adds up to

6 humectants
5 botanical extracts
3 vitamins
3 preservatives
3 antioxidants
2 solvents
1 conditioning agent
1 gum
1 thickener
1 film former
1 emollient
1 amino acid
1 pH adjuster
1 exfoliant

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

Price · 1 oz

Seen at $16 lowest of 2 stores · checked Sep 9

Show the price ladder

Price for 1 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it3 listings · 3 stores

Ulta Beauty (ulta.com)
$16.00

1 oz · $16.00/oz

Sep 8Lowest per oz
Ulta Beauty
$16.00

1 oz · $16.00/oz

Sep 9
Pacifica Beauty
$16.00

1 oz · $16.00/oz

Sep 9

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

1 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 $16 is the price we have observed for the 1 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
About $9 is what serums typically cost at this size. Too few of the products that do the same job carry a price for us to draw a good-value line.

Formula

Formula score

3 of 10

It costs more per ounce than 80% of the 77 serums we’ve priced while the formula leaves out shine system — a system most of the format carries.

How the score is counted

Nothing in our library does the same job at a lower price
Costs more per ounce than 80% of the 77 serums we’ve priced
No shine system in the formula
No weightless carrier either

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.

Should you buy it?

Only if you need exactly this

Best user

Vegan and cruelty-free shoppers, looking for a vegan, cruelty-free product

Biggest tradeoff

Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, anyone who will not scrunch out a cast, or hair that reads dull

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

an advanced serum for long-term hair fullness and vitality

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

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

clean ingredients

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

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

cruelty-free

Our researched record has this brand as cruelty-free.

—

Supported

Matches our researched record.

vegan

Our researched record has this brand or product as vegan.

—

Supported

Matches our researched record.

made in the USA

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 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.

Many reviewers use it as a nightly or daily scalp massage and describe the scalp feeling calmer and more comfortable afterward.

Ulta shoppers, including some who bought it specifically for scalp tenderness or a scalp issue

Reviewers with fine or thin hair say the serum absorbs fully and leaves no residue or weighed-down feeling, unlike heavier oils.

Ulta shoppers, several self-describing as having fine or thin hair

Reviewers report a visible boost in hair volume, thickness and body, particularly on fine or thinning hair.

Ulta shoppers, several self-describing as having fine, thin or wavy hair

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.
5 sources consulted for this product (1 manufacturer or regulatory, 2 retailer, 2 editorial), last checked 2026-09-09.
Ingredient references are linked for 6 of 9 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 2026-09-09.

Turmeric Guava Thick and Smooth Hair Food Serum

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

Similar products

Should you buy it?

What the brand says, against what the formula shows

What people report

More from Pacifica

How this page was made

Your personalized hair plan