What’s Going on With the Magical Mystery Shampoo?
October 23, 2022 7:53 PM Subscribe
Olaplex went from small batches sold from a garage to a $14 billion dollar brand in seven years. Then TikTok turned on them. [alt link]
a $14 billion dollar brand
i tip my cap to the eagle-eyed editors of the NYT Times.
posted by ZaphodB at 1:26 AM on October 24, 2022 [20 favorites]
i tip my cap to the eagle-eyed editors of the NYT Times.
posted by ZaphodB at 1:26 AM on October 24, 2022 [20 favorites]
Feeling betrayed by the headline, it's just a standard story of backlash to a popular product after the initial (celebrity endorsement driven) hype wears off. There's no "TikTok" angle just a couple people posting bad reviews online.
Anyway the hair product I have to use to not look terrible is Bumble and Bumble's thickening conditioner. It doesn't "repair" anything but it does make my hair look less thin.
posted by subdee at 4:13 AM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Anyway the hair product I have to use to not look terrible is Bumble and Bumble's thickening conditioner. It doesn't "repair" anything but it does make my hair look less thin.
posted by subdee at 4:13 AM on October 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Earlier this year, the same platforms that helped turn Olaplex into a household name hosted far less friendly content: A TikTok video that went viral said that the European Union and Britain would ban Olaplex No. 3 for containing lilial, an ingredient used in trace amounts as a fragrance — and linked to infertility. The company responded quickly, destroying $4.3 million worth of inventory, [CEO JuE] Wong said, and announcing a reformulation.posted by box at 7:22 AM on October 24, 2022
See also: "yoga mat" bread
posted by Dr. Twist at 8:03 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Dr. Twist at 8:03 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
When I was getting my hair colored every six weeks (pre-pandemic) my stylist used the professional Olaplex in my color, and I used the single home consumer product they had at the time (Olaplex 3?) and I was always very happy with how soft my hair was, even when bleached out to white.
I didn't know the brand had exploded or featured in TikTok videos, or whatever. But from a lifetime of dying my hair, I can compare and say the Olaplex really did deliver on keeping my hair texture healthy looking.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 8:10 AM on October 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
I didn't know the brand had exploded or featured in TikTok videos, or whatever. But from a lifetime of dying my hair, I can compare and say the Olaplex really did deliver on keeping my hair texture healthy looking.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 8:10 AM on October 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
But from a lifetime of dying my hair, I can compare and say the Olaplex really did deliver on keeping my hair texture healthy looking.
Yep, can confirm that the judicious use of the No. 3 bond builder or whatever has kept my hair in shockingly good form despite aggressive bleaching and vivid color dyes...so much that even after 6 months of heat styling this bleached and dyed mass, my stylist only had to dust the ends rather than trim off an inch or two of damaged hair. That has never happened before, even when I was dyeing without bleach.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:56 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Yep, can confirm that the judicious use of the No. 3 bond builder or whatever has kept my hair in shockingly good form despite aggressive bleaching and vivid color dyes...so much that even after 6 months of heat styling this bleached and dyed mass, my stylist only had to dust the ends rather than trim off an inch or two of damaged hair. That has never happened before, even when I was dyeing without bleach.
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 9:56 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Can't comment about the shampoo, but as of right now Olaplex is only a 2.5B brand. That's due to a lot more than just "TikTok backlash".
posted by meowzilla at 10:43 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by meowzilla at 10:43 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
The article's unquestioning use of the phrase "hero molecule" shouldn't have survived the first edit.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 10:58 AM on October 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 10:58 AM on October 24, 2022 [3 favorites]
"first edit"
ha - it was likely an only edit job
posted by zenon at 11:45 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
ha - it was likely an only edit job
posted by zenon at 11:45 AM on October 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
LOL you think there was an edit
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:02 AM on October 25, 2022
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 10:02 AM on October 25, 2022
I'm yet another person with a hair color not normally seen in mortals who's had great success with Olaplex but had no idea it was a Thing. I've used Bumble & Bumble in the past but jumped when it got hard to find. I've always had baby hair (very fine, very soft) right up to now when I'm starting to see grey at the temples. I can't tell that Olaplex is better than the B&B I was using before but it's certainly no worse.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 8:19 PM on October 25, 2022
posted by gentlyepigrams at 8:19 PM on October 25, 2022
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I roll my eyes at any Olaplex claims that it is actually strengthening my hair (I went through a whole bottle of No. 3 "repairing treatment" and... yeah nothing happened -- and their "purple shampoo" does exactly nothing for my highlights) or doing anything beyond just coating my hair follicle with moisture. But I think their products are great for dry, color-treated hair -- it's not super perfume-y, doesn't leave my hair greasy or sticky, and generally makes it softer and smoother. The products are also very thick so you just need a tiny bit.
posted by rogerroger at 9:43 PM on October 23, 2022