Recently my YouTube feed was buzzing with a new line of customized shampoo and conditioner products. The brand? Function of Beauty. The ingredients, scent, color, and formulation? You customize all of these yourself, and take a quiz about your personal hair concerns, goals, and product specifications. Then you receive a bottle of “perfect” shampoo and a conditioner, imprinted with your name, that are uniquely designed according to user chemistry. While I don’t have a great breadth of experience with customizable, individualized, and no experience with bespoke clothes or luxury good products, I was fairly intrigued by the concept and willing to pay what I would otherwise for a moderate-high priced hair treatment regimen. I filled out the quiz and was recommended a “perfect” formula, so needless to say I had very high hopes and wanted perfection.
My regular regimen includes fairly well-reviewed, moderately priced shampoo and conditioning products, along with hair oil, conditioning spray, and the occasional dry shampoo foam. My typical concerns include dryness and frizz. While I also prefer a product that can help achieve a more voluminous aesthetic, I also seek conditioning and anti-frizz solutions. With years of hair coloring and hot styling stools, I typically take solace in finding anything in the range of “therapeutic,” or calming. Users can pick from various concerns while taking the test (i.e. color last, dandruff). It definitely seemed worth the price if the promise of perfection and individualization was met. While I loved the smell, texture, aesthetic, and overall product quality, after using I would compare this to a shampoo and conditioning regimen of a similar price point. While my hair felt a bit softer, I did not notice a drastic quality difference, and would not call the product “perfection.” It does, however, seem suitable for someone who would already purchase hair products at a similar price point, and is seeking to address specific concerns. While customers should not anticipate perfection, the offering is solid, and it’s a fun process!
Main Features
Customers begin by taking a hair profile quiz. First you pick hair type (straight, wavy, curly, coily), structure (fine, coarse, medium), and scalp moisture (oily, dry, normal). You then select 5 hair goals out of 17 options, including oil control, anti-aging, volume, deep conditioning, lengthening, color protection, thermal protection, fix split ends, shine, straighten, curl definition, hydration, nourish roots, anti-frizz, and soothe scalp. Up until this point I had selected wavy hair and was seeking help for deep conditioning, hydration, shine, color protection, and anti-frizz. You then pick a formula name, your own first name or nickname (to be imprinted on the bottle logo). You select a color for both the shampoo and conditioner (pink, blue, violet, orange, turquoise, limited edition blue), as well as a fragrance (options are plentiful and fragrance free is also available). I opted for the pink color and sandalwood violet scent. You can also select strength of scent (light, medium, strong). I selected medium and it was a great choice, the fragrance was just strong enough to not be overwhelming, it also lingers throughout the day. Light and medium strengths are recommended, unless you prefer a heavier fragrance. The fragrance itself was amazing, likely one of the best smelling products I’ve ever tried. The 8 oz option set is $36, but if you’re only looking for a shampoo or conditioner, you can pick a single 16oz product for $36. Other options are available and discounted per ounce, but preferable for repeat customers who already know their formulations.
Does it Actually Work?
Ultimately, yes, I did notice benefits and subtle visible differences to my hair compared to similarly priced products I had been using before. My only qualms were the need to use a lot of conditioner, and on a couple of occasions, a subtle feeling of lingering dryness. I felt it fully restored shine and radiance. My hair felt softer, tamed, and nourished. Putting this in the “calming” category for sure. I would definitely recommend the products, as they did work and addressed the concerns I had. I also felt my opinion was swayed by the amount of beauty and hair products I have tried for years. The typical consumer with more limited experience would likely be even more blown away by this product, service, and the overall results. And there was something really exciting about trying customized products and having them finally delivered, marketing efforts or not!
Positives and Negatives
Even customizable or “perfect” products have downsides. Some of this exists because of psychological expectation and the marketing of a product as “perfect.” If you are anticipating a truly perfect product with remarkable, life-altering results, particularly if you’ve tested the majority on the market like me, you may be disappointed. However I attribute much of this to the initial expectation. No product is truly perfect, but this one stands against the test of excellence. Here’s a glance at some key pros and cons:
Pros
- Fully customizable- you can pick your own scent, size, formulation, and product options
- Imprinted and customized with your own name on the bottle
- Beautiful packaging
- Lovely fragrance, this product smells nothing short of wonderful
- Great for the hair, while I wouldn’t call it “perfect,” it addressed concerns and was a great regimen, preferable to most moderate to high priced options I’ve tried before
- I was able to stop using hair oil as my hair was already fully hydrated
- Color last options provide hold, and are sulfate free
- Natural ingredients with no harsh chemicals or parabens
- Suitable for daily use, including the anti-dandruff formulation
- Restored shine to hair, radiant texture
- Hair was softer and more supple
- Fast ship time, I was expecting much longer considering the manufacturing process involved
- Great customer service team with a transparent company and positive brand management
Cons
- Price, for the price point I didn’t feel the bottles were large enough or lasted long enough (though I have very long hair that requires frequent washing)
- Product may be difficult to return unless reaction or allergy occurs, however they have highly-rated customer service teams to resolve issues
- Marketed as perfect, but expectations should be more of “great results” and somewhat comparable to competitor products, users must have realistic expectations
The Final Verdict
I definitely recommend Function of Beauty’s shampoo and conditioner. Not only is the product very high in quality, it is definitely quite unique, and not due to marketing alone. The added benefit is getting an entirely customizable product, one that helps your hair and makes for the perfect Instagram photo in one go. The offering is truly suitable to everyone, and all different hair types and demographics can try the products. The fragrance was definitely one of the best I have ever experienced or tried across any single product category. I would purchase a perfume version if it was possible. So if you’re someone who already shops for haircare products at a moderate or moderate-high price point, without any reservations I would suggest trying out this line. The value of good quality paired with individualized options is actually quite good, as the latter often come with an even heftier price tag. This one is definitely a winner!