Scalp treatment
Scent:
Notes: charcoal, fresh, invigorating, mint.
“Scent: Charcoal + Mint - Invigorating, minty, fresh” — Brand page
Listing used for research: target.com
Personal fit
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The rest of what your plan weighs on this product.
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
Lower cost than most scalp treatments
$1.49/oz at 6.7 oz — less than 97% of the 152 scalp treatments , which mostly run $3.22–20.64/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 — this is a detangling formula.
Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula.
Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair.
Humectants in the working part of the formula.
No protein or amino acids in the list.
Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove.
Chelators are present — they 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. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| WaterWater (Aqua) | solvent | The base everything else is dissolved in | Neutral |
| Cetyl Alcohol | fatty alcohol | Thickens and conditions — not a drying alcohol | Softens |
| Behentrimonium Chloride | conditioning agent | Conditions and softens — this is what makes it comb through | Detangles |
| Charcoal Powder | absorbent | — | Neutral |
| Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil | oil | Coats and softens the strand | Softens |
| Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil | emollient | Softens and smooths the strand | Softens |
| Menthol | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
| Macrocystis Pyrifera (Kelp) Extract | botanical extract | A trace plant extract | Neutral |
| Phenoxyethanol | preservative | Keeps the product from spoiling | Stabilizes |
| FragranceFragrance (Parfum) | fragrance | The scent | Fragrance |
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.
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 fatty alcohol used to thicken creams and add slip. It softens rather than dries.
Listed in the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
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 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 the first three ingredients, it is likely a structural part of this formula.
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.
Activated charcoal, used to absorb oil and for a clarifying claim. It also tints the product black.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
A dry powder takes up oil and adds friction between strands, which is most of what root lift in fine hair actually is.
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.
Listed in positions 4–8, it likely makes a meaningful contribution alongside the formula's main ingredients.
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.
A thin oil layer lowers friction between strands and flattens the raised cuticle that scatters light and catches on its neighbours.
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.
The oil pressed from Peppermint (Mentha Piperita)'s leaf/stem. How much weight a plant oil leaves depends on the hair it lands on; coarse hair tends to take more of it than fine hair.
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.
Produces the cooling, tingling feeling on the scalp. The sensation is real; it is not evidence that anything else is happening.
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.
A seaweed extract used at low levels for moisture and mineral 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.
A small water-loving molecule that draws moisture into the hair and holds it there. It is the most common softening ingredient in conditioners and 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.
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 light ester that spreads quickly and leaves a smooth, non-greasy 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.
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 quick-acting conditioning agent that reduces static and combing force. It also helps keep the formula stable.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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 cellulose thickener used for slip and light hold in gels and creams.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
A polysaccharide film stays softer than a synthetic one as it dries, which is what leaves a curl defined but still able to move.
A soft film binds neighbouring strands together, which is most of what keeps flyaways lying down without stiffness.
Gum films stay soft. A style that needs firm fixation usually wants a synthetic polymer doing the holding.
A biodegradable hard-water chelator used in place of 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 coconut-derived light emollient used as a plant alternative to silicone.
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 plant-derived light ester used where a silicone-free but silky feel is wanted.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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 strong base used in trace amounts to raise pH; fully neutralised in the finished product.
It appears around or below the estimated 1% line, where label order no longer indicates relative amount; its role may be minor or technical.
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.
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.
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.
Ingredient list captured 2026-09-03. Formulas change — check the package in your hand when an ingredient matters to you.
Price · 6.7 oz
Usually a good value. Most stores sell it under the $32 line, and products that do this job typically go for about $45 at this size.
Formula
This formula covers the systems a scalp treatment is built around, and it costs less per ounce than most of the scalp treatments we have researched.
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.
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
Hair that stiffens on protein, looking for a protein-free formula and real detangling slip
Less suited to anyone sensitive to fragrance
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
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.
Create the optimal foundation for fuller, healthier-looking hair
Density and growth are cosmetic claims an ingredient list cannot settle.
Not something a label can show.
this invigorating mask cleanses, moisturizes and helps purify your scalp for the ultimate refresh
The detergent system is gentle; it is unlikely to clear heavy build-up on its own.
Too gentle for real build-up.
Mint: refreshes the scalp
This is a marketing claim; an ingredient list cannot speak to it.
—
Can’t be confirmed from label.
Charcoal Powder: helps purify
The detergent system is gentle; it is unlikely to clear heavy build-up on its own.
Too gentle for real build-up.
Coconut Oil: helps moisturize
Humectants or rich emollients sit in the first eight ingredients.
Helps hair feel hydrated.
PETA-Certified Animal Test-Free, Vegan
Our researched record has this brand or product as vegan.
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Matches our researched record.
Formulated without SLS/SLES, parabens, phthalates, silicones or synthetic dyes
No silicones appear in the ingredient list.
—
Nothing that needs a strong wash.
Designed for all hair types
No formula reads the same on every texture; our fit panel is the better guide.
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See the fit panel instead.
Gentle on color-treated hair
It avoids sulfate detergents, which are the usual cause of fast fade.
Less fade per wash.
Ideal for use 1-2x a week
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows this.
Our tubes contain 30% recycled content
A brand-run study. We report it as stated and do not repeat the number as fact.
—
Only the brand’s testing shows 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
Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings.
The payoff people describe most often is on the hair rather than the scalp - soft, manageable, shiny, and conditioning rather than stripping - which several reviewers attribute to using it as a third step after shampoo and conditioner.
Reviewers on the brand's own product page and Target, several with self-described dry hairThe peppermint and menthol produce a distinct cooling tingle that reviewers repeatedly single out as the reason they reach for it - several describe it as a spa-like or post-workout refresh rather than a treatment step.
General Target guest reviewers across the corpus, including one who uses it specifically after the gymReviewers who carry a lot of styling product report it visibly clears buildup and leaves the scalp feeling genuinely clean, and specifically say the cleansing does not come with dryness or irritation.
Target guest reviewers, including one who says she uses a lot of curl productsPeople who came to it for a dry, itchy or flaking scalp - including one who calls her scalp extremely sensitive - report less itching and no stinging, which is the notable part given the menthol content.
Target guest reviewers who described their own scalp as dry, itchy, winter-dry or extremely sensitiveThe recurring complaint is sensation without result: reviewers enjoy the tingle but say they cannot see any lasting change in their scalp, and one questions the logic of applying a mask after shampoo and conditioner.
Target guest reviewers leaving 3-star reviews; no self-described hair or scalp type
