Browsing the hair care aisle for a product that works specifically for your hair needs and concerns can be challenging, but Kérastase makes it their mission to provide personalized hair care for every single client. Founded in 1964, the brand partnered up with L’Oreal Advanced Research and found that the best hair care goes far beyond styling and hygiene. Rather, it should be a luxurious individualized experience for clients in their search for exceptional hair.
With over 700 scientists developing products worldwide, Kérastase’s research-driven, innovative product portfolio is created with every single head of hair in mind. The brand strives to teach clients which formulas work best for them while creating innovative products to fit into their hair care routine. We sat down with the Kérastase Paris general manager, Guillaume Duez, to discuss brand offerings and chat about the latest hair trends that the brand is spearheading.
“Being a professional brand, it is key that we put that at the forefront in the salon,” says Duez. “It's where it all starts and when the magic happens.”
Keep scrolling for a deeper dive into the brand philosophy, our biggest takeaways, and a great reason to book an appointment at a Kérastase salon ASAP.
Salon personalization is everything.
A key pillar of Kérastase’s ethos is personalization, and the brand excels at equipping its stylists and customers with expert knowledge to help pinpoint unique hair care issues. With the help of the brand’s Hair Diagnostic Tool, you and your stylist can get to the root of all your hair concerns—think of it as your very own hair prescription. When you walk into a Kérastase salon, you can expect more than your average appointment. Every visit begins with a personalized consultation to help your stylist analyze the condition of your hair to ensure that you’re receiving the proper hair care (and the best at-home hair products).
“The brand was centered around this idea of hair concern, this idea that through a dialogue with your hairdresser, you can point out some concerns, and then we can give you the right regimen and the right hair routine,” says Duez.
According to Duez, a great example of this commitment to customization is the brand’s best-selling treatment, Fusio-Dose. During this Kérastase-exclusive salon service, your stylist will understand your hair goals and then concoct a unique Fusio-Dose recipe catered to your hair type, mixing one of six concentrés with one of five boosters for 30 possible treatment combinations. The vials of ingredients fuse (hence the name!), targeting two unique hair issues simultaneously for a mane that’s visibly transformed.
Whether you’re looking to enhance shine and increase strength or boost hydration while stopping breakage, rest assured there’s a bespoke Fusio-Dose treatment waiting for you at your nearest Kérastase salon.
Nutritive 8H Magic Night Serum Hydrating Treatment
An overnight, leave-in serum that nourishes and detangles dry hair.
Blond Absolu Serum Cicanuit
Overnight recovery serum for lightened or highlighted hair.
Nutritive Nectar Thermique Blow Dry Primer
A leave-in thermal protectant for dry hair that supports up to 85 percent less breakage from styling tools.
Resistance Ciment Anti-Usure Conditioner
A strengthening daily conditioner for weak, brittle or damaged hair.
Discipline Keratine Thermique Blow Dry Primer
A leave-in treatment that protects against external aggressors, revitalizes frizzy hair, and prevents further damage.
Blond Absolu Cicaplasme Hair Primer for Blonde Hair
A lightweight, heat-protecting primer for a flawless blonde results.
Scrub Energisant Deep Cleaning Fusio Dose Scrub
An energizing sea salt scalp scrub to remove impurities
Scrub Apaisant Deep Clean Fusio Dose Scrub
A calming gel scalp scrub to cleanse the scalp
Specifique Argile Équilibrante Cleansing Clay
A purifying cleansing clay for oily hair and roots
They invest in luxurious, skincare-inspired products that really work.
The skinification of hair has taken off in spades over the past few years, and Duez says this boom can be credited to ingredient efficacy. Think amino acids, hyaluronic acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, and so forth to get your hair in its most balanced, healthiest state—just like they would your skin.
Skincare-inspired ingredients aside, hair care routines have also started to emulate the process of pampering your complexion at the end of a long day, with Kérastase at the forefront of creating opulent products you’ll be excited to work into a multi-faceted regimen.
“In the world of Kérastase, it’s this idea of a three-step routine: cleanse, treat, prime,” adds Duez. “The key oftentimes is not one magic product that does it all—it's about the routine. It's about really consistently how to take care of your hair.”
While all hair types will flourish using a system of professional, salon-grade products, color-treated hair especially requires a robust routine. That’s where an acid-packed line like Chroma Absolu comes into play.
“Hair color is an oxidative process that takes the hair from its neutral, acidic state to an alkaline state,” says Duez. “Chroma Absolu is restoring acid care to rebuild the hair and help seal the surface of the cuticle. It's very important to rebalance it, so having the opportunity to have the right ingredients to do that is key.”
Here are three more skincare-inspired trends that stand out in Kérastase’s offerings.
Primers
Until now, primers may have only rung a bell as the first step of a flawless makeup application. However, when it comes to your strands, primers work wonders by prepping your hair to be an ideal canvas for hairstyling while ensuring your locks are healthy and manageable in the long run.
“Look at it as a hybrid between a treatment and a styler that is going to allow you to have additional benefits and seal in a lot of those benefits,” explains Duez.
Check out the brand’s Nutritive Nectar Thermique Blow Dry Primer, Résistance Ciment Thermique Blow Dry Primer, Discipline Keratine Thermique Blow Dry Primer, and Blond Absolu Cicaplasme Hair Primer to get you started.
Overnight serums.
Another significant parallel Duez has seen between skincare and hair care is the idea of night serums. That said, he’s not surprised that Nutritive 8H Magic Night Serum Hydrating Treatment and Blond Absolu Serum Cicanuit have quickly become consumer favorites.
“Think about [Nutritive] as an overnight beauty sleep nourishing hair serum for dry hair,” says Duez. “Oftentimes, you think you have to work a lot for your hair, but in this case, you can put it on at night, and it will do the work for you. And it helps you in the morning style your hair more easily.”
Of course, Kérastase doesn’t skimp on care for beloved blondies, who often deal with even more stress on their strands due to the lightening process. Therefore, an overnight serum can be an especially valuable addition to their P.M. routine. As mentioned above, the popular Blond Absolu Serum Cicanuit is infused with hyaluronic acid to hydrate hair overnight for intense recovery in the morning
Scalp care.
Sure, we may exfoliate our face a few times a week, but many of us often forget that our scalp skin is an extension of that. The benefits of exfoliating both areas are the same: it helps buff away dryness while removing excess oil, product build-up, and dandruff.
“The scalp ranges have always been part of the philosophy,” says Duez. “Healthy hair starts with a healthy scalp, and Kérastase is about making sure that you can have the best end results—-in that case, the canvas that you have to work with starts with your scalp.”
Add Scrub Energisant Deep Cleaning Fusio Dose Scrub to your cart if you’re looking to detox your roots from impurities, or opt for the cleansing Scrub Apaisant Deep Clean Fusio Dose Scrub if your scalp skin is prone to sensitivity. Interested in a mask texture to nix weighed-down, greasy roots? You can’t go wrong with the purifying Specifique Argile Équilibrante Cleansing Clay.
Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant Fortifying Shampoo for Weakened Hair
A fortifying gel shampoo for weakened hair.
Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant Fortifying Shampoo for Weakened Hair
A fortifying gel shampoo for weakened hair.
Genesis Fondant Renforcateur Fortifying Conditioner for Weakened Hair
A fortifying, lightweight conditioner for weakened hair
Genesis Bain Nutri-Fortifant Strengthening Shampoo
A fortifying shampoo for normal to dry hair that is prone to falling due to breakage from brushing
Genesis Serum Fortifiant Fortifying Serum for Weakened Hair
A daily fortifying serum protectant for weakened hair
Genesis Homme Bain De Force Quotidien Shampoo
Daily deep-cleansing and strengthening shampoo for men with weakened hair prone to thinning.
Genesis Homme Bain De Masse Epaississant Shampoo
Daily instant thickening and strengthening shampoo system for men with weakened, thinning hair.
Genesis Homme Spray De Force Epaississant Thickening Spray
Instant thickness-boosting and hair-strengthening spray for men with weakened hair prone to thinning.
Genesis Homme Cire D’Épaisseur Texturisante Wax Pomade
Light-hold wax pomade for men with weakened hair prone to thinning.
Hair fall is one of their specialties.
‘Never be afraid of falling’ is the tagline for Genesis, which Duez says is Kérastase’s best-selling range worldwide. What started as a line for women suffering from hair fall due to breakage from brushing eventually snowballed into the expansive range it is today, which now includes a care and styling line for men.
“I think it’s really unique because it answered a new need,” says Duez. “There's a very strong emotional attachment to your hair, but we can help you with that—you don't have to feel bad about yourself because [of] what you’re going through.”
It’s easy to see why Genesis has become so popular—when used together as a complete system, the fortifying collection for women has been shown to reduce hair fall due to breakage from brushing by 97 percent. On the other hand, Genesis Homme was created after identifying a gap in effective men’s luxury hair care. The system helps to address hair thinning and density through its shampoo, conditioner, spray, and stylers so that men’s hair looks great now and is stronger later. It includes ingredients like creatine to help fortify weak hair strands and ginger root for protection against future damage.
“Every single one of our ranges [has] a unique science behind it,” says Duez. “What we want to do is always be on the forefront and be pioneers. And in the case of hair fall, in the case of Genesis, that's what we do best.”
Want more information? Check out our full Genesis review for women and our Genesis Homme review for men.
They never stop innovating.
If you’ve ever been plagued by dandruff, you’ll be especially intrigued by one of Kérastase’s biggest launches of 2023—the brand-new dandruff line, Symbiose.
“It's the first-ever luxury anti-dandruff hair care range,” says Duez. He says the innovation was born out of clients searching for an approach to dandruff that was not harsh or clinical but didn’t sacrifice results.
“It's about the efficacy, but it's also about embellishing the hair,” notes the general manager.
Like the rest of the brand’s ranges, the system will have multiple products for every step of a skincare-inspired hair routine, from scalp components such as a peel and a night serum to shampoo and conditioner.
“Symbiose is a great example of the latest in technology, with this idea of pampering and luxury hair care that you could get at home as if you were to go to a Kérastase salon and experience the care they give to you,” says Duez.
Check back here in March 2023 for a shoppable link to all the Symbiose newness.
“Each time you use a Kérastase product, we can stand by it and hopefully recreate some of that salon experience,” concludes Duez. “We'll continue to have science at the forefront, we'll continue to have innovation at the forefront, and we’ll continue to connect salons and consumers together with the best possible services.”
So what are you waiting for? Shop all of our Kérastase products on Hair.com here!
Nutritive 8H Magic Night Serum Hydrating Treatment
An overnight, leave-in serum that nourishes and detangles dry hair.
Blond Absolu Serum Cicanuit
Overnight recovery serum for lightened or highlighted hair.
Nutritive Nectar Thermique Blow Dry Primer
A leave-in thermal protectant for dry hair that supports up to 85 percent less breakage from styling tools.
Resistance Ciment Anti-Usure Conditioner
A strengthening daily conditioner for weak, brittle or damaged hair.
Discipline Keratine Thermique Blow Dry Primer
A leave-in treatment that protects against external aggressors, revitalizes frizzy hair, and prevents further damage.
Blond Absolu Cicaplasme Hair Primer for Blonde Hair
A lightweight, heat-protecting primer for a flawless blonde results.
Scrub Energisant Deep Cleaning Fusio Dose Scrub
An energizing sea salt scalp scrub to remove impurities
Scrub Apaisant Deep Clean Fusio Dose Scrub
A calming gel scalp scrub to cleanse the scalp
Specifique Argile Équilibrante Cleansing Clay
A purifying cleansing clay for oily hair and roots
Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant Fortifying Shampoo for Weakened Hair
A fortifying gel shampoo for weakened hair.
Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant Fortifying Shampoo for Weakened Hair
A fortifying gel shampoo for weakened hair.
Genesis Fondant Renforcateur Fortifying Conditioner for Weakened Hair
A fortifying, lightweight conditioner for weakened hair
Genesis Bain Nutri-Fortifant Strengthening Shampoo
A fortifying shampoo for normal to dry hair that is prone to falling due to breakage from brushing
Genesis Serum Fortifiant Fortifying Serum for Weakened Hair
A daily fortifying serum protectant for weakened hair
Genesis Homme Bain De Force Quotidien Shampoo
Daily deep-cleansing and strengthening shampoo for men with weakened hair prone to thinning.
Genesis Homme Bain De Masse Epaississant Shampoo
Daily instant thickening and strengthening shampoo system for men with weakened, thinning hair.
Genesis Homme Spray De Force Epaississant Thickening Spray
Instant thickness-boosting and hair-strengthening spray for men with weakened hair prone to thinning.
Genesis Homme Cire D’Épaisseur Texturisante Wax Pomade
Light-hold wax pomade for men with weakened hair prone to thinning.
