Celebrities becoming not only brand ambassadors, but also part owners of haircare companies seems to be the latest industry trend. On the heels of Jennifer Aniston’s collaboration with Living Proof, it was recently announced that Katie Holmes has signed on as an investor in Alterna Professional Haircare and will appear in the brand’s advertising campaigns starting later this month. As co-owner, the 34-year-old actress will provide input on future products and initiatives. Alterna claims its haircare products are free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and other harsh ingredients – so that’s a good start.
But how do Alterna products actually stack up? Well, the Caviar Anti-Aging Moisture Conditioner ($32) garnered Marta’s nod of approval for its ability to fight frizz effectively and for including proven anti-agers. Near the top of the conditioner’s extensive ingredients list are caviar extract, with omega-3 fatty acids and collagen-building amino acids; wasabi, a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals; and a farmer’s market full of other antioxidants, including fennel, seaweed, flaxseed (linseed), and carrot extract.
The Caviar Anti-Aging Dry Shampoo ($22) got a recommendation from Summar, with its talc-free formula (it uses corn starch, tapioca starch, and detoxifying montmorillonite clay to soak up oil) and anti-aging ingredients (Hexapeptide-11, purported to stimulate hair growth; and vitamins C and B₅). It also contains red algae extract, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Though, interestingly, caviar is nowhere to be found on the ingredients list, despite the dry shampoo being part of the “Caviar” line.
Truth in Aging contributor Julie Kay tells us the Caviar Anti-Aging Working Hair Spray ($8-$28) – which does contain caviar extract, as it should – is her “go-to” hairspray. And while the ingredients in the Caviar Anti-Aging 3-Minute Shine Boost ($26) are a mix of hits (botanicals, peptides, antioxidants) and misses (Oleth-10, centrimonium chloride), Marta says the product does what it claims to do, and so the good outweighs the bad.
It’s hard to deny that Ms. Holmes has enviable tresses, so I applaud Alterna for choosing its first-ever celebrity partner wisely. But I, for one, am interested to see if the star power will ultimately help or hurt a brand that – so far – appears to be a good choice for products that help us achieve and maintain healthy hair in our 30s, 40s, 50s, and beyond.
Ingredients in Caviar Anti-Aging Moisture Conditioner: Aqua/Water/EAU, Cetearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Behentrimonium Chloride, Cetrimonium Chloride, Wasabia Japonica Root Extract, Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) Seed Extract, Chondrus Crispus (Carrageenan) Extract, Hydrolyzed Algae Extract, Algae Extract, Caviar Extract, Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil, Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter), Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Pikea Robusta Extract, Glycine Max (Soybean) Symbiosome Extract, Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Extract, Hydrolyzed Rice Protein, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Seed Peroxidase, Ganoderma Lucidum (Mushroom) Tyrosinase, Lentinus Edodes Tyrosinase, Peptide, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Niacinamide Polypeptide, Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, Pantothenic Acid Polypeptide, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Phospholipids, Papain, Bromelain, Saccharomyces/Lysate Ferment, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment, Superoxide Dismutase, Lactoferrin, Corn Oligosaccharides, Copper Lysyl Oxidase, Acetyl Methionine, Acetyl Serine, Amino Acyl tRNA Synthetase, Phytosphingosine, Adenosine Triphosphate, Melanin Silanetriol, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Cinnamidopropyltrimonium Chloride, Jojoba Esters, Cetrimonium Bromide, Dimethiconol, Glycereth-26, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol, Propylene Glycol Dicaprylate/Dicaprate, PPG-1 Trideceth-6, Polyquaternium-37, Polyquaternium-10, Amodimethicone, Sodium Phytate, Divinyldimethicone/Dimethicone Copolymer, C11-15 Pareth-7, Laureth-9, Trideceth-12, C12-13 Pareth-23, C12-13 Pareth-3, Citric Acid, Disodium EDTA, Ethylhexylglycerin, Methylisothiazolinone, Fragrance/Parfum, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Linalool, Limonene
Ingredients in Caviar Anti-Aging Dry Shampoo: Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Tapioca Starch, Montmorillonite, Pikea Robusta Extract, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Glycine Max (Soybean) Symbiosome Extract, Hexapeptide-11, Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, Pantothenic Acid Polypeptide, Niacinamide/Yeast Polypeptide, Water/Aqua/Eau, Adenosine Triphosphate, Silica, Fragrance/Parfum, Citral, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Limonene, Linalool
Ingredients in Caviar Anti-Aging Working Hair Spray: D Alcohol 40-B (Alcohol Denat.), Hydrofluorocarbon 152a, Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer, Cyclomethicone, Aminomethyl Propanol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Triethyl Citrate, PEG/PPG-17/18 Dimethicone, Pentaerythrityl Tetracaprylate/Tetracaprate, Panthenol, PPG-5-Ceteth-20, PPG-2 Myristyl Ether Propionate, Propylene Glycol, Caviar Extract, Aqua/Water/EAU, Fennel (Foeniculum Vulgare) Extract, Saccharomyces Lysate Ferment, Saccharomyces Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces Zinc Ferment, Superoxide Dismutase, Lactoferrin, Retinyl Palmitate Polypeptide, Phospholipids,Corn Oligosaccharides, Copper Oxidase, Acetyl Methionine, Acetyl Serine, Amino Acyl tRNA Synthetase, Peptone, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Glycine max (Soybean) Symbiosome Lysate, Pikea Robusta Extract, Adenosine Triphosphate, Niacinamide Polypeptide (Vitamin B3), Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, Pantothenic Acid Polypeptide (Vitamin B5), Magnesium Sulfate, Fragrance/Parfum, Benzyl Benzoate, Benzyl Salicylate, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, Alpha-Methyl Ionone, Butylphenyl Methylpropional
Ingredients in Caviar Anti-Aging 3-Minute Shine Boost: Water (Aqua), Dimethicone, Butylene Glycol, Amodimethicone, Oleth-10, Polyacrylamide, Ppg-3 Benzyl Ether Myristate, Isododecane, Isohexadecane, Caviar Extract, Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Citrus Grandis (Grapefruit) Seed Extract, Panthenol, Wasabia Japonica (Wasabi) Leaf Extract, Glycerin, Polyquaternium-59, Polyquaternium-10, Superoxide Dismutase, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Papain, Bromelain, Melanin, Pikea Robusta Extract, Glycine Max (Soybean) Symbiosome Extract, Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) Seed Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Corn Oligosaccharides, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein PG-Propyl Silanetriol, PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Pantothenic Acid/ Yeast Polypeptide, Retinyl Palmitate, Ascorbic Acid Polypeptide, C13-14 Isoparaffin, Phenoxyethanol, Oleth-20, Cetrimonium Chloride, Laureth-7, Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride, Caprylyl Glycol, Citric Acid, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Triethoxycaprylylsilane, Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate, Hydrolyzed Saccharomyces/Lactobacillus/Ubiquinone Ferment, PPG-26-Buteth-26, Niacinamide/Yeast Polypeptide, Hexapeptide-11, Adenosine Triphosphate, Apigenin, Oleanolic Acid, Biotinoyl Tripeptide-1, Saccharomyces/Copper Ferment, Saccharomyces/Zinc Ferment, Saccharomyces Lysate Ferment, Lactoferrin, Aminoacyl tRNA Synthetase, Phospholipids, Quaternium-15, Copper Oxidase, Acetyl Serine, Acetyl Methionine, Mica (Ci 77019), Titanium Dioxide (Ci 77891), Fragrance (Parfum)