Ultra reparative
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Stated by brand
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Palmer's
Bond Repair Complex Pre-Shampoo
Mask / Bond treatment, oil-rich
- Mask / treatment
- bond repair
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
Scent:
No added fragrance, no scenting essential oils, and no declared fragrance allergens on the list.
Manufacturer page: palmers.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 22 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.
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Factor
Your profile
Fit
Best for hair types
All types
Not in your profile
Moisture level
High
Not in your profile
Oils and butters
Moderate
Not in your profile
Slip / detangling
Little
Not in your profile
Weight on hair
Medium
Not in your profile
Fragrance
None listed
Not in your profile
Protein
Prominent
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
Not yet verified
Not in your profile
Animal-derived ingredients
Not yet verified
Not in your profile
Heavy humectants
Heavy
Not in your profile
Hard-water defence
None
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 websiteOne 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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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-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Maybe skip if
Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
Hair that tangles wetnothing here reduces combing force
Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
If scent matters to younothing is added here
Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only
Wash day
How it fits into wash day
Read from the product’s own directions on the date shown. A step the label leaves out is shown as not stated, never filled in.
- When
- Before shampoo — Bond-care treatment (manufacturer claim), Conditioning the lengths, Detangling before the wash
- Start on
- damp hair
- Where
- lengths, roots
- Label wait
- at least 10 minutes (longer allowed)
- Then
- rinse, then shampoo
- Needs
- a shampoo
- Conditioner after
- the label recommends conditioning after
- How often
- not stated on the label
- Worth knowing
- The label states it is not a conditioner.
- Apply a generous amount to damp, towel-dried hair from root to tip until hair is completely saturated.
- Leave on for 10 minutes, longer if desired.
- Rinse off thoroughly.
- Shampoo; the label recommends Palmer's Bond Repair Complex Bonding Shampoo and Bonding Conditioning Masque.
Browse technique guides (general — not matched to this product’s directions)
Source: brand page · checked 2026-09-16
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
Prominent
Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one.
Water-binding (humectants)
High
Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here.
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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oilcoconut oil | oil | Coats and softens the strand | Softens |
| Arginine | amino acid | Small protein fragments that bind water | Protein |
| Biotin | vitamin | A marketed vitamin addition | Neutral |
| Collagen | protein | The strengthening step this treatment is built on | Protein |
What the list leaves out, and what it carriesNo sulfates, silicones, or drying alcohols. Protein-forward — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one.
Full ingredient list (4)
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
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
· coconut oil
General function
One of the few oils small enough to move into the strand, which is why it is used for pre-wash treatments. It can feel heavy or stiff on protein-sensitive hair.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
International Journal of TrichologyMay suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hairBecause it penetrates rather than sits on top, it works on hair that loses water through a worn cuticle instead of only slowing evaporation from the surface the way a non-penetrating oil does.
May suitFrizz-prone, damaged, or high-friction hairA 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 hairThe exception to the class read: lauric acid is small and linear enough to enter the shaft rather than only coat it, and in comparison testing coconut oil was the one that reduced protein loss from washing on both undamaged and damaged hair.
- oil
- emollient
-
2
Arginine
General function
An amino acid that holds water and carries a positive charge, so it is drawn to damaged spots on the strand.
Leading ingredientListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
PubChemMay suitVery dry or highly damaged hairAmino 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 hairA 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 hairThe lightest option in the protein family, but still protein — worth watching if protein reliably stiffens your hair.
- amino acid
- humectant
-
3
Biotin
General function
Vitamin B7, included for label appeal in thickening and growth-positioned products. Applied to hair it does not reach the follicle.
Leading ingredientPubChemListed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
- vitamin
-
4
Collagen
General function
An animal-derived protein used for body and a smoother surface feel.
Supporting ingredientListed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
- protein
What the whole list adds up to
- 1 oil
- 1 emollient
- 1 amino acid
- 1 humectant
- 1 vitamin
- 1 protein
Ingredient list captured 2026-08-24. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 5.1 oz
Seen at
$8.99
Good value under
$6
Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $6 line; products that do this job typically go for about $9 at this size.
Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store
-
Brand website
$8.995.1 ozAug 24
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
- 5.1 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 $8.99 is the price we have observed for the 5.1 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
- Good value under $6 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $1.13/oz; at 5.1 oz that is $6. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
- About $9 is what those same products typically cost at this size — the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 5.1 oz.
Formula
7
Formula score
7 of 10
We do not have enough masks and treatments with a computable price per ounce to say where this one sits in the range.
How the score is counted
- No conditioning agents up front in the formula
- Drugstore tier, sold at Brand website
- Drugstore tier
- 3 sources consulted for this record
- 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.
CHIClosest function
Royal Treatment Bond and Repair Treatment Masque
$5.50/oz
- Fragrance-free
- Unscented
- Protein
- Function
- Also
- Wash day
- this one is not a before-shampoo product
Palmer'sLowest cost per oz
Tahitian Vanilla Hydra Gloss Pack
$1.13/oz
- Fragrance-free
- Unscented
- Protein-free
- Function
- Also
- Wash day
- this one is not a before-shampoo product
Camille RoseClose function
Buritti Nectar Repair Cholesterol Treatment
$4.00/oz
- Function
- Also
- Wash day
- this one is not a before-shampoo product
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?
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 hair that stiffens on protein, hair that tangles the moment it is wet, or very dry or very humid climates
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.
3
SupportedBacked by ingredients
0
Partly supportedSome supporting logic
1
Stated by brandNo clear evidence
0
Potential conflictFormula works against claim
Bond-building formula
Protein sits in the first eight ingredients.
- Arginine
- Collagen
Supported
Reinforces a damaged strand.
Sulfate-free
No sulfate detergents appear in the ingredient list.
—
Supported
Gentler on colour and coils.
Minimizes tangling and breakage
Protein sits in the first eight ingredients.
- Arginine
- Collagen
Supported
Reinforces a damaged strand.
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.
More from Palmer's
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.
- 3 sources consulted for this product (1 manufacturer or regulatory, 0 retailer, 2 editorial), last checked 2026-09-08.
- Ingredient references are linked for 2 of 2 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.