Pureology

Color Fanatic Top Coat Clear Hair Gloss

Mask / Weekly treatment, oil-rich

Mask / treatment
Sulfate-free
Silicone-free
Protein-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed

Size6.7 fl oz

Price$38seen at one store · 6.7 oz

Price / oz$5.67/ozat 6.7 oz

Where to buy1 store

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

Scent:

Notes: cedar, floral ginger, rose.

“signature aromatherapy blend of rose, floral ginger & cedarwood” (Brand page)

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 Moderate Not in your profile

Oils and butters 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

Scent Woody & earthy · FloralStrength not recorded 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 Cruelty-free · PETA-listed Not in your profile

Animal-derived ingredients Not yet verified 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 24 ingredientsAbout average Not in your profile

Price tier Salon Not in your profile

Where to buy it Ulta · Salons Not in your profile

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.

Same job for less elsewhere

$5.67/oz at 6.7 oz, more than 76% of the 576 masks and treatments , which mostly run $1.80–5.62/oz.

View alternatives

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 has a scent

Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list

Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers

Whether your hair needs moisture, protein or bond repair right now depends on its damage history and how it behaves wet. The consultation finds out which.

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) Moderate

Humectants in the working part of the formula.

Slip and detangling High

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

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.

Ingredient	What it does	Why it matters	Chip
WaterAqua/Water	solvent	The base everything else is dissolved in	Neutral
Cetearyl Alcohol	fatty alcohol	Thickens and conditions (not a drying alcohol)	Softens
Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine	conditioning agent	Conditions and softens so hair combs through	Detangles
Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) OilCocos Nucifera Oil/Coconut Oil	oil	Coats and softens the strand	Softens
Tartaric Acid	pH adjuster	Fine-tunes the pH	pH balancer
FragranceParfum/Fragrance	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Sodium Hydroxide	pH adjuster	Fine-tunes the pH	pH balancer
Octyldodecanol	fatty alcohol	Body and a little conditioning	Softens
Caprylyl Glycol	preservative	Keeps the product from spoiling	Moisturizes
Salicylic Acid	active	A secondary active	Active
Linalool	fragrance	The scent	Fragrance
Benzyl Alcohol	preservative	Keeps the product from spoiling	Stabilizes

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 (24)

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 Water · Aqua/Water

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 Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine

General function
A plant-derived conditioning agent that smooths the cuticle and eases combing.

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
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.
- conditioning agent
4 Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil · Cocos Nucifera 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.

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
Because 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 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
The 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.

International Journal of Trichology
- oil
- emollient
▾Below about here, the order stops meaning much. These are usually used at 1% or less.
5 Tartaric Acid

General function
A fruit acid used to set an acidic pH; at higher levels it also loosens surface build-up.

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
pH adjusters are how a formula is brought to a chosen acidity, and an acidic formula keeps the cuticle lying flatter than an alkaline one. Which way this one moves the pH depends on the formula, and the finished pH is not on the label.

PubChem
- pH adjuster
- exfoliant
6 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
7 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
8 Octyldodecanol

General function
A liquid fatty alcohol that adds slip and helps oils spread.

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
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.

PubChem
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
9 Caprylyl Glycol

General function
A gentle preservative helper that also holds a little 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 suitVery dry or highly damaged hair
Humectants bind water into the strand, and water — not oil — is what makes dry hair flexible instead of brittle.

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
- preservative
- humectant
10 Salicylic Acid
- active
- exfoliant
11 Glyceryl Stearate

General function
A workhorse emulsifier that holds oil and water together in a cream.

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
- emulsifier
- emollient
12 Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- vitamin
13 Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil

General function
Tea seed oil - light, fast-absorbing, used for shine on fine 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 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
14 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 adds less weight than oils or butters do.

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
15 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
16 Helianthus Annuus Seed Extract/Sunflower Seed Extract
- botanical extract
17 Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
18 Benzophenone-4

General function
A UV filter added to keep the product itself, and dyed hair, from fading in light.

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
19 Geraniol

General function
A rose-scented fragrance component, listed on its own 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.
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
20 Avena Sativa Kernel Extract/Oat Kernel Extract
21 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
22 Xanthan Gum

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

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 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 helps flyaways lie down.

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
23 Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
24 Potassium Sorbate
- preservative

What the whole list adds up to

5 emollients
4 preservatives
3 solvents
3 pH adjusters
3 fragrances
2 fatty alcohols
2 thickeners
2 oils
2 exfoliants
2 humectants
2 named fragrance allergens
1 conditioning agent
1 declared fragrance
1 active

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

Price · 6.7 oz

Seen at $38 1 store · checked Sep 17

Good value under $17 Under $2.58/oz it costs less than three-quarters of the 8 products we score as doing the same job

Priced above the products that do the same job. Stores sell it above the $17 line; products that do this job typically go for about $36 at this size.

Show the price ladder

Price for 6.7 ozlower is better

Where we’ve seen it1 listing · 1 store

Brand website
$38.00

6.7 oz · $5.67/oz

Sep 17Lowest 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

6.7 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 $38 is the price we have observed for the 6.7 oz. We need three stores before we call a price commonly seen.
Good value under $17 comes from the 8 products we score as doing the same job as this one. A quarter of them cost less than $2.58/oz; at 6.7 oz that is $17. Under that line you are paying less than most of them.
About $36 is what those same products typically cost at this size: the midpoint of their prices per ounce, scaled to 6.7 oz.

Formula

Formula score

6 of 10

It costs more per ounce than 76% of the 576 masks and treatments we’ve priced, and 3 formulas we score as close matches cost at least a quarter less per ounce.

How the score is counted

3 products we score as doing the same job cost less per ounce
Costs more per ounce than 76% of the 576 masks and treatments we’ve priced
No protein or amino acids in the formula
Salon tier, sold at Ulta and Salons

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 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.

Carol's DaughterClosest function Born to Repair 60-Second Moisture Treatment with Shea Butter $2.17/oz $3.50/oz less

Protein-free
Curly method
Silicone-free

Function: Film formers
Also: Coconut scent, not woody
Masstige tier
6.8 oz bottle

Compare

MatrixClose function Food For Soft Hair Mask $2.72/oz $2.95/oz less

Protein-free
Curly method
Silicone-free

Function: Film formers
Also: 2.5 oz bottle
Sold in drugstores and mass retail

Compare

Original SproutLowest cost per oz Deep Conditioner $0.73/oz $4.94/oz less

Protein-free
Curly method
Silicone-free

· Close function

Function: Oils and butters
Also: Fresh scent, not woody
Vegan
Drugstore tier

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

Final decision

Should you buy it?

Good for the right person, not the lowest cost

Best user

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

Biggest tradeoff

Worth skipping for anyone sensitive to fragrance, soft, over-stretchy hair that needs protein, or people shopping on a budget

Best alternative if not

Carol's Daughter Born to Repair 60-Second Moisture Treatment with Shea Butter 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

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.

SupportedBacked by ingredients

Partly supportedSome supporting logic

Stated by brandNo clear evidence

Potential conflictFormula works against claim

restores shine and vibrancy

The formula carries a recognised shine system — silicone, oil, or light ester.

Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil
Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil

Supported

Reflects light for visible shine.

high-gloss clear top coat for color-treated hair

It avoids sulfate detergents, which are the usual cause of fast fade.

Brassicamidopropyl Dimethylamine
Tocopherol
Benzophenone-4

Supported

Less fade per wash.

AHA/BHA (tartaric, citric, salicylic acid) exfoliating/clarifying complex

The detergent strength of this formula is not recorded.

Tartaric Acid
Salicylic Acid

Stated by brand

Can’t be confirmed from label.

free of parabens, sulfates SLS & SLES, phthalates, mineral oil

No sulfate detergents appear in the ingredient list.

—

Supported

Gentler on colour and coils.

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.

Reviewers

What people report

Themes that come up again and again in sourced reviews, written by our researchers in their own words. We don’t store or scrape star ratings.

A minority of reviewers report the opposite effect they expected, describing tangling or no visible gloss/shine at all on straight hair.

Reviewers with straight or fine hair commonly praise the immediate glassy shine and smoothness the gloss adds after one use.

Several reviewers say they get the best shine results when they skip their regular conditioner and use the gloss on its own.

A recurring complaint is that the shine effect fades within a wash or two, leaving some reviewers feeling it did not justify the price.

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.
4 sources consulted for this product (2 manufacturer or regulatory, 0 retailer, 2 editorial), last checked 2026-09-17.
Ingredient references are linked for 11 of 16 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 2026-09-17.

Color Fanatic Top Coat Clear Hair Gloss

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, and what the formula shows

What people report

More from Pureology

How this page was made

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