Is Garnier Fructis Good for Your Hair? | It Depends

Is Garnier Fructis good for your hair? That can be a challenging question to answer for a general audience. After all, every person has different hair: varying lengths, colors, textures, treatments, and needs. 

But worry not — we’ll break down some of the main ingredients that this brand uses in their hair care products and determine what’s good about it and what’s not so good about it. Then you can determine if Garnier Fructis is good for your hair type. 

What Is Garnier Fructis?

Garnier has been in the beauty business for over 100 years. Garnier is a beauty brand known for using naturally derived ingredients to create so-called innovative hair and skin formulas.

The brand also takes a strong stance on a commitment to green sourcing and sustainability. Under the Garnier umbrella is the brand’s hair care line, Garnier Fructis.

The line includes shampoos, conditioners, leave-in treatments, and heat protectants under six sub-lines that target specific issues such as frizz control and color protection. Overall, Garnier Fructis gives users mixed results.

Those with normal or wavy hair tend to like it better than those with curly hair. It also seems to work better for those with normal scalps and worse for anyone with a sensitive scalp. 

Garnier uses a blend of good and not-so-good ingredients, so it’s hard to say what impact it will have on any one hair type.  

Ingredients in Garnier Fructis

The easiest way to assess Garnier Fructis and its product selections is to break down some of the main ingredients and their impact on hair. 

SLS Sulfates: Bad 

SLS sulfate is a cleansing agent commonly used in shampoos, including Garnier’s shampoos. Sulfate is an ingredient to avoid. Although it does a thorough job of cleaning, it can be too harsh and is known for irritating the skin. 

Many shampoo and beauty products include SLS sulfates because they create a very thick and luxurious foam, which many misconstrue for more cleansing power. 

While sulfates will certainly remove dirt and grime from your hair, they can cause damage to your hair by over-cleansing and can strip your scalp of natural oils. It’s also particularly irritating to anyone with sensitive skin or other skin issues.

Read Next: What Is SLS in Shampoo?

Natural Extracts: Good

One of the best parts about Garnier Fructis is its use of natural extracts. Across the company’s line of hair products, you can find great ingredients like avocado, olive oil, almond, coconut oil, argan oil, aloe, and more. 

These oils and extracts are ideal for nourishing, moisturizing, and reviving dull, dry, and damaged hair.

They can even help strengthen and improve overall appearance and texture. Since they come from natural sources, they’re safe – and most of them even smell good. 

Silicone: Bad 

Silicone is a man-made plastic material often found in shampoos and conditioners due to its smoothing effect. It accomplishes this by locking in moisture and coating hair shafts for a temporary smooth appearance.

The key word in that last sentence is temporary. Silicones do such an intense job of locking in moisture that they create a barrier on the outside of the strand as well.

So, other nourishing ingredients can’t get to the hair follicle. Silicone can even build up in your hair over time and lead to a dull and dry result.

When your hair can’t receive nourishment from natural oils and beneficial ingredients, it can quickly become weak and prone to breakage. Silicone isn’t unsafe or toxic, but it’s not the best ingredient for your hair.

Read Next: What Is Silicone-Free Shampoo?

Vitamin E: Good

Some of Garnier Fructis’s hair products contain a solid amount of vitamin E, which is a big win for hair health. Vitamin E has antioxidant properties, which help protect the cells in your body.

But it has also become a go-to hair ingredient to support overall hair and scalp health. Vitamin E can help prevent hair loss, improve scalp circulation, balance your scalp’s oil production, and even add some shine to frizzy, damaged hair. 

It’s crucial to get enough vitamin E in your everyday diet, but having some in your shampoo can help as well. Vitamin E is also naturally present in avocado and coconut oil, both of which are frequent ingredients in the Garnier line.

Read Next: What Vitamin Is Good for Your Hair?

Glycerin: Good

Glycerin is a mixture of alcohol and sugars synthesized from plant and animal sources. At face value, it doesn’t sound too great. But actually, glycerin is a humectant, which means it will naturally pull moisture in from the air around it to help keep your hair hydrated. 

Animal-based glycerin, which comes from animal fats, may not be appealing to some. But most shampoos use plant-based glycerin, which comes from helpful plants like coconut, shea butter, and palm. It’s a great conditioner that offers a protective layer over your hair. 

Glycerin may not be the best ingredient for those who have a naturally oily scalp, as it can contribute to overall greasiness. If your hair runs greasy, Garnier products might not be the best choice for you. 

The Catch & Final Answer

Many of Garnier Fructis’s hair care products contain good and bad ingredients. Whether the bad outweighs the good is up to you to determine, and may change based on your hair type.

However, not all of the brand’s products contain every one of these ingredients. Garnier has some products that use up to 98 percent all-natural ingredients with no silicones, no artificial colors, no parabens, and more. 

For example, the brand’s Hair Food Shampoo line seems to check all the boxes as far as natural, safe, and beneficial ingredients go. Not to mention, Garnier Fructis isn’t including any ingredients that most other hair companies aren’t including, anyway. 

Overall, Garnier is fairly reliable in terms of its hair care ingredients, save a few that border on unnecessary and mildly harmful. Things like artificial fragrances and phthalates aren’t great, but they don’t negate all the good ingredients.

Read Next: Which Ingredients You Should Avoid in Shampoo

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you still have questions about Garnier Fructis? Check out these FAQs below. 

So, Is Garnier Fructis Good for Your Hair?

The Garnier Fructis line of hair care products is full of good and not-so-good ingredients. We’re not thrilled about things like fragrances, silicone, and sulfates, but we love the natural oils, glycerin, and vitamin E. 

The best thing to do is evaluate the ingredients and try the products for yourself. Many people have found success with Garnier, while others have found the opposite. Regardless, there are a range of product lines for all hair types, all at great prices. The say is yours!