New formula for Blond shampoo removed best part

As a longtime Kérastase customer, I've chosen products to suit my hair’s color and condition. Recently, I switched from brunette to blonde highlights to blend my increasingly gray-white roots, so I moved to Blond Absolu for its extra conditioning and care. My leftover shampoo from an earlier blonde era worked well, but the new bottle smelled different and left my hair dry, stripped, and tangled. The previous formula never did that. Comparing ingredients, I found the signature moisturizing, fragrant edelweiss flower was gone. Kérastase doesn't disclose its removal, despite the ingredient’s effectiveness and cost. The change fits a broader pattern: Kérastase has either retired beloved legacy products completely or reformulated the survivors with lower-quality, chemically adjacent formulas that can't replicate the quality and efficacy that earned the original distinctive ingredients their loyal following. Newer products are hard to distinguish from their drugstore counterparts—except for the price. Across collections, high prices seem to be the only “value” left.

Originally posted on kerastase-usa.com

Revolting Smell

I've used Kerastase products for many years, including the Blond Absolu Bain Lumiere shampoo. All products usually smell fine, but this batch of shampoo smells moldy and musty. The liquid is clear, so I don't think the product itself if moldy. But the fragrance must have degraded badly. At least I hope this is not the typical smell :(

Originally posted on kerastase-usa.com