Versus

Kérastase Elixir Ultime Hydrating Hair Oil Serum Versus Trader Joe's Shea Butter & Coconut Oil Hair Mask

Hair Serum
Hair Mask
French Brand France
American Brand United States

Overview

What they are

These products are both reef safe . They have a total of 3 ingredients in common

Cool Features

They both contain Vitamin E

Suited For

They're both likely to be good for anti aging and dry skin

Free From

They both do not contain any parabens or sulfates

What's Inside

They both contain harsh alcohols, common allergens, fragrances, oils and silicones

We independently verify ingredients, and our claims are backed by peer-reviewed research. Spot a product that needs an update? Let us know.

Ingredient Info

Click any item below to learn more and see relevant ingredients

About this product

About this product

At a glance

Click on any of the items below to learn more

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Key Ingredients

Benefits

Concerns

Ingredients Side-by-side

found in both products
Shea Butter & Coconut Oil Hair Mask

Ingredients Explained

These ingredients are found in both products.

Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.

Emollient, Skin Conditioning

You may know this ingredient as argan oil. Argan Oil has antioxidant, hydrating, and soothing properties.

Studies have shown argan oil can help fight again radical damage from the sun. This makes it effective at preventing hyperpigmentation.

Large amounts of vitamin E found in argan oil helps the skin retain water. Argan oil also contains fatty acids such as linoleic acid, oleic acid, and palmitic acid. It is also a good source of lipids.

Another benefit of argan oil is skin-soothing. It can help reduce inflammation-related skin symptoms.

Argan Oil is effective at regulating sebum production in pores. This can make it effective at treating hormonal acne.

Traditionally, argan oil was used for its antibacterial and antifungal properties. However, argan oil contains fatty acids that may make it not fungal-acne safe.

Argan Trees are native to Morocco.

Learn more about Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Perfuming, Preservative, Solvent

Benzyl Alcohol is most commonly used as a preservative. It also has a subtle, sweet smell. Small amounts of Benzyl Alcohol is not irritating and safe to use in skincare products. Most Benzyl Alcohol is derived from fruits such as apricots.

Benzyl Alcohol has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties. These properties help lengthen the shelf life of products. Benzyl Alcohol is a solvent and helps dissolve other ingredients. It can also improve the texture and spreadability.

Alcohol comes in many different forms. Different types of alcohol will have different effects on skin. This ingredient is an astringent alcohol.

Using high concentrations of these alcohols are drying on the skin. They may strip away your skin's natural oils and even damage your skin barrier. Astringent alcohols may also irritate skin.

Other types of astringent alcohols include:

According to the National Rosacea Society based in the US, you should be mindful of products with these alcohols in the top half of ingredients.

Any type of sanitizing product will have high amounts of alcohol to help kill bacteria and viruses.

Learn more about Benzyl Alcohol
Masking, Perfuming

Parfum is a catch-all term for an ingredient or more that is used to give a scent to products.

Also called "fragrance", this ingredient can be a blend of hundreds of chemicals or plant oils. This means every product with "fragrance" or "parfum" in the ingredients list is a different mixture.

For instance, Habanolide is a proprietary trade name for a specific aroma chemical. When used as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetics, most aroma chemicals fall under the broad labeling category of “FRAGRANCE” or “PARFUM” according to EU and US regulations.

The term 'parfum' or 'fragrance' is not regulated in many countries. In many cases, it is up to the brand to define this term.

For instance, many brands choose to label themselves as "fragrance-free" because they are not using synthetic fragrances. However, their products may still contain ingredients such as essential oils that are considered a fragrance by INCI standards.

One example is Calendula flower extract. Calendula is an essential oil that still imparts a scent or 'fragrance'.

Depending on the blend, the ingredients in the mixture can cause allergies and sensitivities on the skin. Some ingredients that are known EU allergens include linalool and citronellol.

Parfum can also be used to mask or cover an unpleasant scent.

The bottom line is: not all fragrances/parfum/ingredients are created equally. If you are worried about fragrances, we recommend taking a closer look at an ingredient. And of course, we always recommend speaking with a professional.

Learn more about Parfum

When to use

24 Routines
63% use in am
38% use in pm
63% use every day
1 Routine
0% use in am
100% use in pm
100% use every as_needed

Reviews

Here's what our community thinks

Kérastase Elixir Ultime Hydrating Hair Oil Serum 16 ingredients

4.6 /5
from 5 ratings
Soft (3) Straight Hair (3) Waves (2)
Alodia's avatar

Alodia

5 months ago
Review

Best hair oil ever. I have tried many others - Olaplex, argan oil, Fino, schwarzkopf, Paul Mitchell, Elvive (supposed to be a dupe but oh god it’s horrible).

It’s light weight, smells elegant and leaves my hair super soft and minimises frizz.
I apply on damp hair after NAK replends leave in cream, this combo is perfect for me.

So sad that they’ve reformulated and jacked up the price with Show more

#soft
#straight hair
Larafox's avatar

Lara

7 months ago
Review

Such a good product! Makes my hair super shiny and healthy and smells incredible. It also supports my soft curls and nourishes my hair

#soft
#curls
#waves
#straight hair

Trader Joe's Shea Butter & Coconut Oil Hair Mask 29 ingredients

3.0 /5
from 1 rating