The SOFTNESS conditioner easily detangles the hair of the whole family*.
Conditioning agents that reduce combing force sit high in the list.
- Cetearyl Alcohol
- Cetyl Alcohol
- Cetrimonium Chloride
Easier detangling, less breakage.
Conditioner / Rich rinse-out, detangling
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.
Manufacturer page: us.phyto.com
Personal fit
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.
$49 with 60 days of follow-up questions and plan updates
$99 with 12 months. Pay once; the year renews only if you choose.
The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
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
Same job for less elsewhere
$4.75/oz at 5.9 oz, more than 88% of the 1119 conditioners , which mostly run $0.94–3.41/oz.
Great for
Maybe skip if
What the formula actually does
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.
Conditioning agents sit high in the list, so this is a detangling formula.
Oils sit high in the list: a softening, coating formula.
Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients.
Humectants in the working part of the formula.
No protein or amino acids in the list.
Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them.
Contains chelators, which bind hard-water and pool minerals.
Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients.
Ingredients that matter
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterAqua / Water / Eau | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Cetearyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Thickens and conditions (not a drying alcohol) | Softens |
| Coco-Caprylate/Caprate | light ester | Light slip without much weight | Softens |
| Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil | oil | Coats and softens the strand | Softens |
| Cetyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Thickens and conditions (not a drying alcohol) | Softens |
| Cetrimonium Chloride | conditioning agent | Conditions and softens so hair combs through | Detangles |
| Behentrimonium Chloride | conditioning agent | Conditions and softens so hair combs through | Detangles |
| Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil | emollient | Softens and smooths the strand | Buildup |
| FragranceParfum / Fragrance | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
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.
The base of almost every rinse-off and cream hair product. It carries everything else and is normally the first ingredient on the label.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A waxy fatty alcohol - nothing like drying alcohol. It gives conditioners their body and leaves a soft, smoothing film on the hair.
In conditioner, cetearyl alcohol gives the emulsion its creamy structure and helps it spread evenly through the hair. Its emollient layer adds slip and a smoother feel.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
May suit dry, coarse, or high-porosity hair that benefits from added slip and a more substantial conditioning film.
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
Consider if hair is fine or easily flattened: a formula built heavily around fatty alcohols can feel richer than a lightweight conditioner.
A plant-derived light ester used where a silicone-free but silky feel is wanted.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
A light emollient: it softens the surface with noticeably less weight than an oil or a butter.
Spreads thin and lowers friction between strands without the heaviness of a fixed oil.
A thick, tacky oil used for sealing ends and for slick, held-down styles.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
Near the top of a list an oil is weight before it is anything else, and fine hair shows that first at the roots.
A fatty alcohol used to thicken creams and add slip. It softens rather than dries.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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.
Deposits with the cationic conditioners and helps them lie flat along the strand, which is where the detangling actually comes from.
Near the top of a conditioner it is doing most of the conditioning, and most of the weighting, at the same time.
A quick-acting conditioning agent that reduces static and combing force. It also helps keep the formula stable.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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.
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.
A positively charged conditioning agent that binds to damaged, negatively charged spots on the hair. It is the main detangling ingredient in most rinse-out conditioners.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Electrokinetic measurement puts the C22 quat ahead of the C16 ones for deposition: the longer chain adds van der Waals stabilisation on top of the charge binding. That extra deposit is what coarse hair usually needs to comb through.
A cationic conditioning agent: it binds to the damaged, negatively charged parts of the cuticle and lowers combing friction there.
Substantive by design. A routine with no detergent wash gives it nothing to leave with.
Not chemically an oil: about 97% of it is liquid wax esters, which is why it resists going rancid and sits close to the scalp's own sebum. It smooths without a heavy finish.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
A wax holds by staying solid on the strand, which gives grip and separation rather than a set film that cracks.
A sugar-derived humectant used for lasting moisture without stickiness.
Lower in the ordered portion of the list, it is more likely playing a supporting role than defining the formula.
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.
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.
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.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Declared fragrance. On a fragrance-sensitive routine this is the line that decides it, wherever it sits on the label.
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.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
It hydrates without adding oil or a film, which is the combination fine hair usually needs.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
A humectant that also penetrates the cuticle, so it holds water inside the strand rather than only on the surface.
A sugar-derived humectant used with xylitol for a light moisturised feel.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.
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.
A thickening polymer that gives creams and curl products their bounce and helps them cling to the strand.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Cationic polymers hold a curl loosely and stay soft, which is why they turn up in definition products rather than firm-hold ones.
A cationic polymer stays on the hair through rinsing, which is what keeps static and combing friction down after the wash.
Film formers are what hold a style: they dry into a connected film across the strands so the shape resists movement.
A preservative booster that also adds a little softness. Almost always paired with phenoxyethanol.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
A sugar alcohol that binds water and gives a light, non-sticky moisturised feel.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.
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.
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.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Holds hard-water minerals in solution so they rinse away instead of depositing on the 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.
Where a warm cast comes from water minerals rather than from the hair itself, holding those metals in solution is what removes it.
A conditioning agent used for moisture retention and shine in leave-ins.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Deposits a lubricating layer that makes combing easier, which is most of what stops mechanical damage adding to frizz.
Humectants bind water into the strand, and water — not oil — is what makes dry hair flexible instead of brittle.
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.
Glycerin, also called glycerol, attracts moisture and mixes completely with water.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
High-porosity hair loses water fast; a humectant holds some of it in place for longer than the wash itself would.
Binds water into the outer layers of the strand, and water is what makes dry hair flexible again rather than brittle.
Water moves both ways. Measured across concentrations, glycerin solutions give water up in some conditions and take it from the air in others. What it does for you depends on how much of it is there and on the air around it.
A rice-derived chelator that binds hard-water minerals without EDTA.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Binds the calcium and magnesium in hard water, which is what stops mineral deposits accumulating on the strand wash after wash.
Copper 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.
A light plant oil used to soften and carry other oil-based ingredients.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
A medium-weight oil used for softness and slip.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Coats the surface and slows water leaving the strand, which is usually what coarse hair that dries out fast is missing.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
A stabilised lecithin used to help conditioning ingredients deposit evenly.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
Emollients fill and smooth the surface of the strand, which lowers the friction that lifts the cuticle and reads as roughness.
Ingredient list captured 2026-09-17. Formulas change, so check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 5.9 oz
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 $20 at this size.
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.
Formula
Sold through specialty beauty stores, and 6 products that do the same job cost less. Part of what you pay for is where it is sold.
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.
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
Hair that stiffens on protein, for a protein-free formula and real detangling slip
Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, oily scalps and fine hair, or anyone stretching time between washes
Consider Curlsmith Frizz Control Duo Conditioner, for similar results 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
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.
The SOFTNESS conditioner easily detangles the hair of the whole family*.
Conditioning agents that reduce combing force sit high in the list.
Easier detangling, less breakage.
86%* detangles the hair easily 86%* the hair is softer *Clinical study carried out on 20 volunteers for 28 days, all hair types.
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
SOFTENING OAT MILK Formulated with oat milk, rich in nutrients and antioxidants, it is known for its moisturizing and softening properties.
Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.
Helps hair feel hydrated.
WHITE MALLOW EXTRACTION An extraction of white mallow brings twice as much shine to the fiber*. *tests on wicks
The formula carries a recognised shine system — silicone, oil, or light ester.
Reflects light for visible shine.
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.