The INOAColor Care Protective Cream Shampoo and Protective Conditioning Masque are meant to protect color treated hair so that the color doesn’t fade and color treated hair gets the extra nourishment it needs.
The INOAColor Care Protective Cream Shampoo is sulfate free. I like sulfate free shampoos because they are less drying as well as gentler on the hair and scalp. This shampoo is creamy, white and quite concentrated so start with less, lather and see if you need more. I have found that my hair gets squeaky clean without using much of this shampoo. I did some research on the ingredients and their function and here are my findings:
Water – Solvent
Sodium Cocoyl Isethionate – Surfactant
Sodium lauryl sulfoacetate – Surfactant
Disodium laureth sulfosuccinate -Surfactant
Cocamidopropyl Betaine – Surfactant, Antistatic
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate – Surfactant
Glycol Distearate – Emollient,Emulsifier
Glycereth-26 – Moisturizer
Decyl Glucoside – Surfactant
Hydrogenated coconut acid – Surfactant, Emollient, Emulsifier
PPG-5-CETETH-20 – Surfactant, Emulsifier
Polyquaternium-7 – Antistatic
Amodimethicone – Antistatic
Polyquaternium-10 – Antistatic
Sodium isethionate – Antistatic
Propylene Glycol – Solvent, Moisturizer
Carbomer – Emulsifier
C11-15 pareth-7 – Emulsifier
Laureth-9 – Emulsifier
Glycerin – Solvent, Moisturiser
Linalool – Fragrance
Hexyl Cinnamal -Fragrance
Trideceth-12 – Surfactant
Sodium Benzoate – Preservative
C12-13 pareth-23 – Emulsifier
Benzyl Alcohol – Preservative, Solvent, Fragrance
C12-13 Pareth-3 – Emulsifier
Geraniol – Fragrance
Argania spinosa Oil/Argan Oil – Emollient
Methylchloroisothiazolinone -Preservative
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract/ Green Tea Extract – Moisturizer, Antioxidant, Emollient
Methylisothiazolinone – Preservative
Sodium Hydroxide – pH Adjusters
Citric Acid – pH Adjusters
So yes, the shampoo has the good stuff – Argan oil, Green Tea, emollients, moisturizers and it does not contain Sodium Laureth Sulphate. However it has quite a few surfactants that can be damaging for the hair. I want to move away from shampoos which contain surfactants too. Another ingredient, carbomer is a low potential irritant. Thankfully, the fragrance is not too strong – some may find it annoying because it smells synthetic.
So overall verdict on the shampoo – it does the job, protects the color, has some good ingredients, is sulfate free but has a host of surfactants that I am not happy about
Coming to the INOAColor Care Protective Conditioning Masque – this masque is supposed to protect color, hydrate dry hair leaving it shiny and silky. It has a buttery texture and a mild annoying fragrance. Per the instructions, it has to be applied to towel dried hair and rinsed off after 2-3 minutes. However, it works best for my hair if I leave it on towel dried hair for at least 5 minutes before rinsing off. I am happy with how my hair looks after conditioning with this masque. I have tried to analyze the ingredients of the masque too. Here are the findings :
Water – Solvent
Cetearyl Alcohol – Surfactant, Emulsifier
Amodimethicone -Antistatic
Behentrimonium chloride – Preservative, Antistatic
Cetyl esters- Emollient
Isopropyl Alcohol – Solvent
Phenoxyethanol – Preservative
Trideceth-6 – Surfactant,Emulsifier
Olive Fruit Oil – Emollient
Argania spinosa Oil/Argan Oil – Emollient
Panthenol – Antistatic, Moisturizer
Butyrospermum Parkii Butter / shea butter – Moisturizer, Emollient
Cetrimonium chloride – Surfactant,Preservative,Antistatic
Linalool – Fragrance
Hexyl Cinnamal – Fragrance
Tocopherol – Antioxidant
Chlorhexidine Digluconate -Preservative
Geraniol – Fragrance
Benzophenone-4 Sunscreen
Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract/Green Tea Extract -Moisturizer, Antioxidant, Emollient, Astringent,Sunscreen
Hilianthus Cinnuus Seed oil/Sunflower Seed Oil – Emollient
So the masque also has good ingredients like Argan oil, Green Tea Extract, Olive oil, sunflower seed oil, tocopherol /vitamin E and sunscreen but then it has its share of surfactants that I don’t like. It also has Cetearyl Alcohol that acne prone skin can have trouble with. Cetearyl Alcohol and Isopropyl alcohol are irritants and may affect certain skin types.
In India, L’Oréal Professionnel INOAColor Care Protective Cream Shampoo and Protective Conditioning Masque are available in salons. The Shampoo costs Rs 1000 (for 250ml) and the Masque costs Rs 1200 (for 200ml). A 1.5 litre bottle of the shampoo is available via Amazon for $60.95. A 500ml jar of the masque is available via Amazon for $43.94. A 100ml tube of the shampoo is available via Amazon UK for £11.11. A 500ml jar of the masque is available via Amazon UK for £19.85.
Yays!
- The formula is sulfate free.
- Both the shampoo and conditioner do their respective job of protecting the color, cleaning and conditioning the hair.
- The products have some good ingredients like Argan oil, Green Tea, Shea Butter and Olive Oil
Nays!
- While the formula is sulfate free, the products still have surfactants which also damage the hair.
- The formula has certain irritants and comedogenic agents (ingredients that aggravate acne).
- I find the fragrance of the shampoo and masque somewhat annoying
