Spotted at Target - the Clairol Herbal Essence shampoo that we all adored till 2006 (also the only shampoo brand that I stayed semi-loyal to through out the years) is back! There are only two scents available and they both come with a similar bottle design (I prefer the old one with drawing as background, instead of photograph though) and amazing fruity-floral scents that are just like the old ones.
Actually, I heard about the news a few weeks back, after reading the press release, I was actually a little afraid that the new formula would be sulfate/silicone-free (i.e they are bringing back the old bottle/scent with a changed formula)...
It turns out that the shampoo is free of silicone (the smoothing/clogging filler in moisturizer and conditioner/hair serum) and the conditioner is free of sulfate (surfactant found in cleansers and shampoo that have been marketed as "cheap & harsh" by so called "natural" brands). Aka, how they (the cheaper drugstore shampoo/conditioner) have always been...
Here is my big thank you to those lovely-and-naive marketing people of Clairol, you really think that we (the female customers) are stupid, don't you?
Here is the ingredient lists for the "new" shampoo and conditioner. On the bright side (for the Francophiles out there), they are both made in France...If that says anything about the quality.
Another thing I noticed (when I tipped the bottle a little) is that the re-released shampoo is a lot runnier than the pre-2006 formula, as watered-down as the ones in wavy bottles. I ditched Clairol back in 2007 not only because the brand abandoned the old scent and packaging I loved, I also felted cheated on when the replaced the old formula with something that's considerably more diluted. Now I know that the new formula is just as runny, I am not in a hurry to give the shampoo another try (I can't tell how the conditioner flow with the opaque bottle)...
Anyway, the old (or newish?) Herbal Essences shampoo also got a minor packaging revamp - Instead of squiggly and circles, now there are flowers and fruit on the bottles. First there is tousle me softly, which I am using now (I don't like the cheap cologne smell but the shampoo itself is neither good or horrible).
Totally Twisted Shampoo and Conditioner.
Anyway, are you excited about the re-release? I was pretty psyched but now I just a little amused...
interesting!
ReplyDeleteIn Japan, it seems quite a few people wish they'd return to the old formula too.
For a limited time they have a Herbal Essences Classics line - Romantic Aroma Rose Collection - for sale. The shampoo only is advertised as non-silicon, and the line is proclaimed to be from overseas, and reviewers complain that the fragrance is weak.
All of the Herbal Essences products we have in Japan seem to be manufactured in Thailand.
Even though the scent of the shampoo wasn't weak when I sniffed the bottle, I doubt it would linger like the old ones (now I remember they releases a grapefruit one around 2004-2005, which was divine) since it so watered down. I actually don't care where things like that are made (come on, things like shampoo/body wash are going down the drain anyway) and but I guess the general manufacturing formula/direction are the same.
DeleteNow I think of this, I suspect that Clairol did the revamp back in 2006 mainly to pass off their new cheapskate behavior as a brand innovation ("we are coming with a brand new line and now the shampoo has smoother bottles and a much better flow!")and the plan has obviously backfired on them...Now they are trying pass off the equally runny formula using that sulfate/silicone-free BS.
I think I might get this just for old time's sake!
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