Redken is a popular shampoo brand with a flagship store in New York City that claims to make hair “7x smoother, instantly.” The brand describes their product line as "nourishing, strengthening and repairing shampoos for damaged hair."
But is Redken really better than drugstore shampoo? Does it have research-backed ingredients for improving hair quality? Does it have any unhealthy ingredients? And how does Redken compare to other luxury shampoo brands?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in two of Redken’s most popular products (All Soft Shampoo and Purple Shampoo) to give our take on whether or not these products are likely to improve hair quality, and whether or not they're healthy.
We’ll also feature real customer reviews, compare Redken to other luxury shampoo brands, and provide a cost comparison to show which retailer sells Redken for the best price.
Key takeaways:
- Both shampoos reviewed contain ingredients we consider unhealthy
- Purple Shampoo contains no active ingredients we consider effective
- We do not currently recommend Redken Shampoo
All Soft Shampoo Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Redken All Soft Shampoo are shown below:
Arginine is an amino acid that has a hair-protecting effect.
A clinical trial published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science found that topical arginine reduces hair damage after coloring or bleaching.
Hydrolyzed soy protein is included in many shampoo products, but we cannot identify any research studies suggesting it improves hair quality.
Sodium cocoyl amino acids and potassium dimethicone PEG-7 panthenyl phosphate is a patented blend called "Sepicap."
The manufacturer of Sepicap lists on its website that this blend has “benefits on hair fiber,” but fails to provide any evidence.
There are many inactive ingredients in this shampoo that we consider unhealthy.
Benzoic acid, benzyl alcohol, potassium sorbate and phenoxyethanol are preservatives, and phenoxyethanol was shown to be toxic to human cells in a 2020 clinical trial.
Coumarin is a fragrance ingredient that was shown in clinical research to be toxic to lung tissue, as we documented in our review of Touchland hand sanitizer (another brand containing this ingredient).
Fragrance is a broad ingredient descriptor, and a 2016 medical review concluded that “everyday fragranced products can pose serious risks to human health.”
Overall, we do not currently recommend Redken All Soft Shampoo due to the inactive ingredients highlighted above, which we consider to be unhealthy.
To the credit of the brand, they removed two artificial dyes since our initial publication of this review, which improved the healthiness.
Redken vs. L'Oreal
A beauty influencer named Abbey Yung compared Redken shapmoo to L'Oreal shampoo:
Purple Shampoo Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Redken Purple Shampoo, also called Blondage Shampoo, are shown below:
We are unable to identify any ingredients in this shampoo shown in clinical studies to improve hair quality.
Fragrance, sodium benzoate, coumarin and phenoxyethanol are all included in this shampoo, and we outlined in the previous Ingredient Analysis section why we consider these ingredients to be unhealthy.
This shampoo contains other inactive ingredients we consider unhealthy..
Acid violet 43 is the artificial colorant that gives this product its purple color, and according to a medical review is prohibited for use in eye products and any cosmetic that comes into contact with mucous membranes.
BHT has a metabolite that was shown to be a “tumor promoter” in clinical research, as we documented in our Plantur 39 reviews article on another shampoo that contains this ingredient.
Overall, we do not consider Redken Purple Shampoo likely to improve hair quality, and we do not currently recommend this shampoo because we consider it unhealthy due to the ingredients higlighted above.
One of the most popular reviews of Redken Purple Shampoo comes from a YouTube creator named Jamie Wilkenson.
She uses the product for three weeks, and provides before-and-after images:
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.
Customers Rate Redken Shampoo
Amazon is a better resource for unbiased customer reviews than a brand's website in our opinion.
Redken All Soft Shampoo has been reviewed over 17,000 times on Amazon, with an average review rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars at the time of updating this article.
The top positive review from a verified purchaser comes from a user named "Linda J Hoover Smith" who gives the product a 5/5 star rating, and likes the overall product experience:
"I have a dry scalp and I couldn't find a shampoo that cleaned my hair and moisterized my scalp so it would not itch. This stuff does both. I am very impressed with this product."
The top negative review from a verified purchaser is written by a user named "Katie" who gives the product a 1/5 star rating, and claims it caused greasy hair and hair fallout:
"I use to be able to go 3-4 days between washes without my hair getting too oily but with the shampoo and conditioner if I wash my hair in the morning it's greasey by night. This is probably because of my hair type but I also struggled with my hair knotting easier and hair fallout."
Where to Get the Best Price
Redken Shampoo is sold at a variety of online retailers. Here's a price breakdown for a one-time purchase of the two products reviewed in this article, at the time of updating this article:
All Soft Shampoo (300 mL)
Brand website: $25 (plus shipping, link)
Ulta: $25 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $25 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Purple Shampoo (300 mL)
Brand website: $25 (plus shipping, link)
Ulta: $15 (plus shipping, link)
Amazon: $15 (free shipping, link to official Amazon listing)
Redken Shampoo is currently around 15-40% cheaper on Amazon than the brand's website for a one-time purchase, when factoring in shipping fees.
Redken Shampoo Pros and Cons
Here are the pros and cons of Redken Shampoo in our opinion:
Pros:
- All Soft Shampoo may have hair-protective effects
- Highly positive Amazon reviews
Cons:
- Contains fragrance ingredients
- Contains synthetic preservatives
- Contains synthetic dye in some cases
- Brand website charges for shipping
- Products we reviewed don't appear clinically tested
