*photo credit: Amazon.com
I'm so sad....my long-time fave line of hair products, PUREOLOGY, was purchased sometime in late 2007 by the big conglomerate, L'Oreal.....I did not learn of this acquisition myself until just last week. I only did a random Google search because my last purchase of Pureology Hydrate (shampoo & conditioner) just seemed different. I chalked it up to maybe my hair was just going through a phase....but it really did not feel the same.
Normally, any of the Pureology shampoos create lather beyond words! The stuff has NO added water, hence, it's a concentrate of sorts. You use VERY little & it goes a LONG way. My hair was never known for is ability to lather well, but this stuff was like a hair miracle. My hair never felt cleaner or healthier & I was sold. It's not cheap, either, but it was worth it!! The Hydrate shampoo averages around $28 a bottle, which may seem steep, but as a concentrate, you use so little that the bottle lasts far longer than anything else you might purchase. In the long run, it's really not that expensive. I would sing its praises anytime someone complained of bad hair days -- "GO, buy Pureology and if you dislike it, I will buy it off of you so you have nothing to lose!!!" And, you know what? NO ONE ever asked me to buy it off of them. Why? Because they were sold, too! It worked wonders!!!
Pureology is known for zero sulfates, no alcohol & no added water, amongst other things. It's not tested on animals & it was 100% vegan....whatever that means in the world of shampoo. *wink* It was full of yummy botanicals & my hair was Heavenly on any given day after using it. If I really wanted a treat, I would splurge on the Nanoworks line...average price of this shampoo or conditioner would set you back just over $40 a bottle, but the results were even better than the Hydrate, if one could even imagine such a thing! I love it!!!
Fast forward to my June purchase of Pureology Nano & Hydrate products that "felt different"....my sister, Marla, mentioned she was no longer using it & complained about the fact it had alcohol in it when some new product she discovered & liked did not. I was floored. ALCOHOL in my Pureology??? What was she talking about? I ran home & read the labels on my bottles, old & new (some of my old bottles were in the recycle bin still)....sure enough, the newer bottles not only had water added (now the 1st ingredient on the label), but 2 kinds of alcohol in it!! I was horrified....I am paying top dollar for something that is supposed to be so pure & wonderful & it's just not. No wonder my hair felt different; no wonder the product did not lather like it used to; no wonder it looked or smelled a tad different...it WAS different!!! I jumped on Google & read tons & tons of messages & blogs about the fact that the recipe was cheapened & watered down....my wonderful botanical ingredients were gone & in their place was plain old water & a bunch of color-fading alcohol! I am paying top dollar for crap equivalent to any drugstore shampoo now. Not cool. The whole point of Pureology is that it's color-protective & once you add alcohol, that all goes out the window, friends.
I e-mailed my hairdresser, Marla & my friend Stacie, who are all in the know about Pureology products. My hairdresser, Deborah, is livid & has written the company...not to mention she wants her money back on the stockpile of product she is selling in her salon. Stacie was like me & just wanted to cry. Marla had already given up on Pureology & switched to another alcohol-free product. *sigh* Deborah & I have been "joking" about creating a product line that IS pure & sulfate/alcohol free.....made me wonder....what is entailed in such a venture? Can this innocent joking turn out to be something more real??? I failed chemistry, so making hair product is way out of my skill level, but you never know. I'm always searching for that light bulb to go on over my head for an idea for a business so I can quit "working for the man". I think I need to seriously chat Deb up about this.
All dreams aside, it's a sad, sad day now that my Pureology is no longer pure. I have come to the conclusion that I need to shop around for older product in hopes it's still the original recipe. That might mean buying from less "reputable" sources like E-bay or local discount stores where the stuff often pops up on shelves. So, I jump on E-bay and search around. I find I am now asking sellers to e-mail me the first 3 ingredients listed so then I will know what I am getting. If water & alcohol come up first in lieu of the organic botanicals, don't buy it! My confession in all this: I had placed a bid on E-bay BEFORE realizing things had changed....did not expect to win, never uppped my bid, but of course, I won. It was a 3 item deal of the Nano line (shampoo, conditioner & a deep conditioning repair mask). The mask alone sells for like $65. I got all 3 for $47. The package just arrived this week....I anxiously ripped open the box & to my delight, they were OLD recipe versions. I scored so big time!!!! Now, I just have to keep finding the old product or find a new brand. Who knew a less "reputable" source, like E-bay (as some consider the risk of counterfeit items) would be MORE reputable in getting what I really want versus buying from a trusted salon or supply house?? I love my OLD Pureology. L'Oreal can suck it. L'Oreal: You have turned a fantastic product into garden variety crap out of pure greed. You are still marketing Pureology as pure & it's not!! This stuff should be selling for under $8 a bottle now, not in excess of $25. If anyone affiliated w/ L'Oreal ever should stumble upon this (yeah, right!): "F YOU". You ruined the ONLY hair product line that some of us ever loved.
I urge everyone that ever loved the REAL Pureology to shop around & try to purchase old product. Read those microscopic labels (and you only need to read the first 3 ingredients on the list). I urge you to write letters & blog about your dissatisfaction. L'Oreal has pulled the wool over our eyes & we have to help lift that wool & see the truth -- they are greedy liars. There is nothing pure about Pureology anymore & it saddens me to say such words. If you find the old product, let me know....I'd be interested in forking out some of my hard-earned $$ for it. If you see water listed as the #1 ingredient, don't even waste your time reading the rest of the label. It's no good. Your organic botanicals like various types of mushrooms, peppermint & herbs won't be in the product anymore. You won't get the killer lather. Your hair probably won't feel as amazing & you certainly won't have as much color protection if the bottles are now chocked full of alcohol. (insert heavy SIGH here).
Happy Shopping....I hope you find something pure in your search. I, for one, won't buy it anymore unless I can find the original recipe.
5 comments:
Oh Sue, I'm sorry!! I know you and Stacy are hair mavens and have spent a great deal of time finding "the" perfect shampoo. I hope you find something you like just as much soon, or at the very least, can corner the market on all of the old ones you can find!!
As for your "dream," I don't think it's as far-fetched as you might think. I don't think there is a celebrity out there who knows Jack about the chemistry involved in creating fragrances, but it's not stopping any of them! You'll need start up cash for one, and a business plan for another (ask Stacy about that, she knows WAY more about that than I do), and then with your friend Deb' connections, you can probably find a lab that makes shampoos for other companies-you'll probably want to find one that's eco-friendly/organic since the shampoo you want to create is, and tell them what you want. You already have the ingredients from the old bottles of your fave shampoo.
The only other issue there might be copyright...but since L'Oreal has bastardized the ingredients it may not matter. BTW-L'Oreal is owned by LaRoche-Posay in New York. Send your comments to them. And check my spelling on that because it might be wrong. Anway, they are huge and own other high-end companies and produce skin care lines, which is how I know they own L'Oreal. GOOD LUCK!!!
There is a place somewhere in the valley where you can work with a chemist and create your own line of products. I don't know what it's called but know that many people who have launched their own lines (skincare, haircare) have used it.
Try and find it and I think you guys should do it! Deborah has a great reputation in the industry and should be selling her own line of haircare!
You can hire me to do the packaging and product photography... hee hee.
I am intrigued, I will tell you that much!!! Does not hurt to investigate the possibility of making something good again.....I almost can't wait for my next hair appt. to chat w/ Deb. ha ha! THANKS girls!
Hello Sue,
My name is Jeremy and I put together private label lines for those seeking products that are Natural & Organic. ALL of our products are Sulfate Free, Sodium Free (for color) and Paraben Free. Our products are modeled after the ORIGINAL Pureology (but without the parabens that they have always used) as well as other lines such as Davines, Aveda and Bumble and bumble.
I would love to talk to you if you are interested in looking at starting your own line. You can check out our website at www.salonlabel.com.
You can reach me at jeremy@salonlabel.com.
I look forward to talking with you.
Jeremy
What is everyone using as a replacement for Pureology?
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