Inala is a hair care brand founded by celebrity La La Anthony that sells products for improving hair thickness and quality. The brand claims that “INALA was conceived to counter dull hair days with high impact, nourishing formulas.”
But does Inala use research-backed ingredients for improving hair thickness and quality? Does the brand use contain any unhealthy ingredients? Why did La La decide to start the company? And is Inala better or worse than popular hair care brands like Tréluxe?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of Inala’s most popular products (Power Potion and Reset Rinse) to give our take on whether or not they're effectively formulated.
We’ll also share a video of La La Anthony discussing what inspired her to launch the brand, and compare Inala to other popular hair care brands, in terms of formulation quality, to pick our winners (and losers).
Key takeaways:
- Contains research-backed ingredients for hair quality
- Contains ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We do not currently recommend Inala
Power Potion Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Inala Power Potion are shown below:
This is a hair growth serum applied to the scalp.
Rice bran was found in a medical review published in the Journal of Drugs in Dermatology to cause hair growth when applied topically, although rice bran extracts were used.
Power Potion contains “rice bran water,” which is less concentrated than an extract.
Hydrolyzed Adansonia digitata seed extract was shown in a 2017 clinical trial to be an effective natural conditioning ingredient. It appears to increase the moisture content of hair and the scalp.
Arginine is an amino acid which can help protect hair from damage, as we discussed in our Moerie reviews article on another hair care brand containing this ingredient.
Benzyl alcohol, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate are preservative ingredients.
We don’t consider any of these preservatives to be particularly harmful, but it may be worthwhile for health-conscious consumers to avoid preservatives in hair products, or at least avoid products containing more than one, as they can be irritating.
Overall, we consider Inala Power Potion likely to be effective for conditioning hair and potentially effective for improving hair quality based on a clinical review of its ingredients.
We don’t currently recommend this product due to the inclusion of the preservatives highlighted above.
Why Did La La Launch Inala?
A video from The Real Daytime show interviews La La Anthony, Inala’s founder, about the motivation behind her product line:
Reset Rinse Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Inala Reset Rinse are shown below:
This product is applied to dry hair and massaged into the scalp as a once-weekly, pre-shampoo rinse.
Rice bran water is again one of the key active ingredients, and we consider it to be potentially effective given the strong research backing for rice bran extract.
Aloe vera may have scalp-relieving properties due to its anti-inflammatory effects, as we documented in our Nioxin review article on another hair product containing this ingredient.
Glycolic acid can correct some hair follicle abnormalities according to a 2021 medical review, which suggests it may improve hair quality.
However, derivatives of this ingredient are also clinically shown to cause acute kidney injury in rare cases.
The above-linked medical review reports that derivatives of glycolic acid are systemically absorbed when applied topically, at least in hair straightening products, and sent 26 otherwise healthy, young people to the ER.
Sodium benzoate is a synthetic preservative, and we consider it to be a good sign that this formulation contains one (rather than three) synthetic preservatives.
Overall, we consider Inala Reset Rinse to be potentially effective for improving hair quality, but we do not currently recommend it due to the inclusion of glycolic acid.
Inala vs. Popular Hair Brands
Here's how Inala compares to other popular hair care brands in terms of formulation quality, in our opinion:
Vitality Extracts
Contains research-backed, naturally-derived ingredients for promoting hair and scalp health like avocado oil, which is clinically shown to promote collagen synthesis in skin.
Products are packaged in glass which is the healthiest option, and free of any unhealthy ingredients.
Winner: Vitality Extracts
Tréluxe
Treluxe is a hair care brand marketed to women with curly hair.
This brand uses fragrance, which is clinically shown to cause negative health effects, while Inala is fragrance-free.
For this reason, we give Inala the advantage from a health perspective.
Winner: Inala
Prose
This brand has potent formulations for their topical products, and an oral supplement which is clinically shown to increase hair growth.
Prose wins from a potential efficacy and healthiness perspective.
Winner: Prose
Our Clean Hair Care Picks
Acure Vivacious Volume Shampoo is our top shampoo pick.
It contains argan oil which is clinically shown to help protect hair from damage.
Ritual HyaCera is our top hair growth supplement.
This supplement contains wheat oil extract, and a 2024 clinical trial reported that a wheat lipid complex had "a reducing effect on hair shedding and a stimulating effect on hair reappearance and growth."
Both of the products recommended in this section are free of ingredients we consider to be unhealthy.
Inala Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Research-backed active ingredients
- Should improve hair quality
- Should improve hair appearance
Cons:
- Power Potion contains three synthetic preservatives
- Reset Rinse contains glycolic acid
- Unclear clinical backing for rice water
- Less healthy than some competitors
- Doesn't appear to be clinically tested
