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Phyto

PLAGE The Protective Oil

Leave-in / Rich leave-in, heavy

  • Leave-in
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
  • Protein-free
  • Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Size3.38 fl oz
Price$30seen at one store · 3.38 oz
Price / oz$8.88/ozat 3.38 oz

Add it to your products. We’ll tell you if it’s ever recalled.

Scent:

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

“Its lightweight texture and addictive fragrance with sunny notes envelop the hair fiber.” (Brand page)

Manufacturer page: us.phyto.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 20 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.

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Same job for less elsewhere

$8.88/oz at 3.38 oz, more than 91% of the 749 leave-ins , which mostly run $1.31–5.50/oz.

View alternatives

Great for

Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Coarse or dry hairthat absorbs everything you give it
Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Stretching wash daysnothing here needs a detergent to remove
Sun and colour fadea UV filter is in the list

Maybe skip if

this product has a scent
Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
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

Whether this weight suits your hair depends on density, porosity and how much you already layer. That is what the consultation looks at.

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.

Weight on the hair Rich

Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients.

Slip and detangling Some

Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners.

Water-binding (humectants) None found

No humectants, so nothing here pulls water into the hair.

Oils and butters Present, high in the list

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

Protein None

No protein or amino acids in the list.

Needs detergent to remove No

Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.

Fragrance Prominent

Fragrance is in the first eight ingredients, so it makes up 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. The chips name what an ingredient does. They are not safety scores, and no ingredient here is rated good or bad on its own.

IngredientWhat it doesWhy it mattersChip
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil oil Coats and softens the strand Softens
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate light ester Light slip without much weight Softens
Undecane solvent The base everything else is dissolved in Softens
Alcohol Denat. drying alcohol Speeds drying but can leave hair feeling dry Drying
Tridecane solvent The base everything else is dissolved in Softens
Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil oil Coats and softens the strand Softens
FragranceParfum / Fragrance fragrance The scent Fragrance
Ethylhexyl Triazone UV filter A trace UV filter Neutral
Linalyl Acetate fragrance The scent Fragrance
Juniperus Virginiana Oil botanical extract A trace plant extract Fragrance
Rose Ketones fragrance The scent Fragrance
What the list leaves out, and what it carriesThe list carries no sulfates or silicones. No protein: a moisture formula, not a repair one. Fragrance is on the label. Heavier butters sit in the working part of the list.
Full ingredient list (15)

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 Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
    General function

    A light, widely used oil that softens without much weight.

    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 not suitFine or easily flattened hair

    Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.

    International Journal of Trichology
    • oil
    • emollient
  • 2 Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
    General function

    A plant-derived light ester used where a silicone-free but silky feel is wanted.

    Leading ingredient

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

    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
  • 3 Undecane
    General function

    A light plant-derived hydrocarbon that spreads other ingredients and evaporates.

    Leading ingredient

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

    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.

    • solvent
    • emollient
  • 4 Alcohol Denat.
    General function

    Fast-drying alcohol used to make sprays set quickly. In leave-on products it can leave hair feeling dry, especially in high position on the list.

    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

    Evaporates on contact, which is how a spray sets almost instantly and leaves no weight behind it.

    May not suitDry, coarse, or high-porosity hair

    Porous hair gives water up easily as it is; a fast-evaporating solvent high on the list accelerates that.

    May not suitVery dry or highly damaged hair

    It evaporates quickly and takes some water with it. On hair already short of moisture, a formula built on a lot of it can finish drier than it started.

    PubChem
    • drying alcohol
    • solvent
  • 5 Tridecane
    General function

    A light hydrocarbon carrier, usually paired with undecane as a plant alternative to volatile silicone.

    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

    Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.

    • solvent
    • emollient
  • 6 Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis (Sweet Almond) Oil
    General function

    A medium-weight oil used for softness and slip.

    Supporting ingredient

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

    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 not suitFine or easily flattened hair

    Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.

    • oil
    • emollient
  • ▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually 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 Ethylhexyl Triazone
    • UV filter
  • 9 Pongamia Glabra Seed Oil
    • conditioning agent
    • emollient
    • oil
  • 10 Tocopherol.Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
  • 11 Linalyl Acetate
    General function

    A lavender-like fragrance component, related to linalool and listed for the same allergen reason.

    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.

    • fragrance
    • named fragrance allergen
  • 12 Momordica Cochinchinensis (Gac) Seed Aril Oil
  • 13 Calendula Officinalis Flower Extract
    • botanical extract
  • 14 Juniperus Virginiana Oil
    General function

    Cedarwood essential oil, used as a woody fragrance note.

    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

    Essential oils are fragrance. Several carry constituents on the EU list of declared fragrance allergens, so a label with no fragrance line can still be a scented product.

    • botanical extract
    • essential oil
    • fragrance
  • 15 Rose Ketones
    General function

    An individual aroma chemical. It is part of the product's fragrance; brands that print these are disclosing more of the blend than the rules require.

    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

What the whole list adds up to

  • 6 emollients
  • 4 fragrances
  • 3 oils
  • 3 solvents
  • 2 botanical extracts
  • 1 light ester
  • 1 drying alcohol
  • 1 declared fragrance
  • 1 UV filter
  • 1 conditioning agent
  • 1 named fragrance allergen
  • 1 essential oil

Ingredient list captured 2026-09-17. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.

Price · 3.38 oz

Seen at $30 1 store · checked Sep 17
Good value under $9 Under $2.80/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 4 products we score as doing the same job

Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $9 line; products that do this job typically go for about $16 at this size.

Show the price ladder
Where we’ve seen it2 listings · 1 store

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. 3.38 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.
  2. Seen at $30 is the price we have observed for the 3.38 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
  3. Good value under $9 comes from the 4 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $2.80/oz; at 3.38 oz that is $9. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
  4. About $16 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 3.38 oz.

Formula

Formula score
3 of 10

Sold through specialty beauty stores, and 2 products that do the same job cost less. Part of what you pay for is where it is sold.

How the score is counted
  • 2 products that do the same job cost less per ounce
  • Costs more per ounce than 91% of the 749 leave-ins we’ve priced
  • No conditioning agents up front in the formula
  • No humectant either
  • Conditioning agents up frontWhat makes wet hair comb through.2 pts
  • A humectantBinds water into the hair.2 pts
  • A light baseWater or a volatile carrier first, so it does not weigh hair down.2 pts
  • Oils or butters in the working zoneSoftens the strand rather than just coating it.2 pts
  • No detergent-dependent filmNothing that needs a clarifying wash to remove.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, for less

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.

Not Your Mother'sLowest cost per oz All Eyes On Me Instant De-Frizz Spray $1.66/oz $7.22/oz less
  • Heat protect
  • Protein-free
  • Silicone-free
· Close function
Function
  • Weight on the hair
  • Fast-drying alcohol
Also
  • Fresh scent
  • Drugstore tier
  • 5 oz bottle
Compare
amikaClose function The Wizard Silicone-Free Detangling Primer $6.00/oz $2.88/oz less
  • Heat protect
  • Protein-free
  • Curly method
Function
  • Fast-drying alcohol
  • UV filter
Also
  • Cruelty-free
  • 5 oz bottle
  • Sold through salons
Compare

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

Built for curly to coily hair

Final decision

Should you buy it?

Similar results available for less
Best user

Hair that stiffens on protein who want a protein-free formula and a curly-method-compatible formula

Biggest tradeoff

Not ideal for anyone sensitive to fragrance, oily scalps and fine hair, or very dry or high-damage hair

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
The original since 1974 The oil that protects and nourishes hair exposed to the sun while at the beach or pool.

Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.

  • Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
  • Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
  • Undecane
Supported

Helps hair feel hydrated.

More than just protection, the PLAGE Oil is an enhancing treatment that nourishes the hair fiber and adds a "wet look" shine effect.

Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.

  • Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
  • Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
  • Undecane
Supported

Helps hair feel hydrated.

At the heart of the formula, calendula extract nourishes and softens the hair fiber, and karanja oil protects hair with its antioxidant properties.

Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.

  • Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
  • Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
  • Undecane
Supported

Helps hair feel hydrated.

CALENDULA EXTRACT NUTRITION Calendula extract strengthens the lipid barrier of the hair fiber.

No protein or bond ingredient appears in the list.

—

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

KARANJA OIL PROTECTION Karanja oil protects the hair fiber from external aggressors thanks to its antioxidant properties.

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.

More from Phyto

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.
  • 1 source consulted for this product (0 manufacturer or regulatory, 0 retailer, 1 editorial), last checked 2026-09-17.
  • Ingredient references are linked for 2 of 10 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 2026-09-21.

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