L'Oreal Fibralogy Shampoo, Conditioner, & Thickening Booster

I recently got the chance to try the L'Oreal Fibralogy hair care line through Influenster and have been testing it over the past month or so. As someone with fine, flat hair, I've been consistently let down by products promising full, voluminous hair, yet predictably I'm always optimistic that the next potion will definitely be the one. However, having previously tried L'Oreal Volume Filler Shampoo (similar with Filloxane technology) with no results, I was very skeptical about Fibralogy.

I received the shampoo, conditioner, and thickening booster and used all three together in my routine. The line also includes a hair mask, although I didn't get to try that. The special ingredient in Fibralogy is Filloxane, an ingredient that claims to "deeply penetrate the hair fibre and expand from within" with a "cumulative thickening effect". The Beauty Brains explains that this is similar technology to the gel that helps seal cracks in glass.

Long story short, I actually think this stuff works, guys. Visually it's hard to say if my hair looks fuller but it does feel thicker when I run my hands through my hair or gather my hair up in a ponytail. If you know me, you know I am generally cynical about the promises of super special ingredients plastered all over the packaging (I call them "headliner ingredients") but L'Oreal may have something here with the Filloxane.


I'm not in love with the shampoo and conditioner. They're alright, but I found the shampoo extremely drying for my hair and scalp--I think I was starting to actually get contact dermatitis along my hairline from it--while the conditioner was not enough to offset the drying shampoo. Please note I am not a scientist but my theory is that the shampoo is super stripping to remove any 'cones or other coatings on the hair to help the Filloxane penetrate the hair shaft and do its magic. Regardless, I wasn't liking the look of the dry, red skin creeping along my hairline so I gave the shampoo away after I was done testing.

Here's what I suspect the real star is: the Thickening Booster. It's a watery, serum-type product that you apply to your hair once or twice a week in between shampoo and conditioner. I usually apply this, wait a few minutes, and then apply conditioner before rinsing it all out. You're supposed to use a dime-sized amount, but I'm greedy and use a little more. The Filloxane (aminopropyl triethoxysilane) appears second on the ingredients list just after water, so it contains the highest concentration of the three products. Check out this post from The Beauty Brains about Filloxane and the different lines it appears in under L'Oreal's numerous hair care brands. The Fibralogy Thickening Booster has the same ingredients as the L’Oreal Advanced Haircare Volume Filler Fiber Amplifying Concentrate In-Shower Treatment so I think the latter may be the US version.

Small note: all the products have a very strong fragrance. Kinda powdery, typical shampoo smell. It's not unpleasant, but unusually strong compared to my other shampoos and conditioners.

While I wouldn't repurchase the shampoo and conditioner because I don't think they're anything special, I will definitely be repurchasing the Thickening Booster. I feel it has made a difference and I still feel it even after discontinuing use of the other two Fibralogy products (hairline irritation has improved, by the way). The 30ml tube still has quite a bit of product in it despite my slight over-applying, and at ~$7 CAD it's not making my wallet cry. Note that based on the description of how Filloxane works, this would probably have the biggest impact on people who have a lot of hair since it plumps up each strand; if you have thin hair you might not see much of a difference.


Shampoo ingredients: aqua, sodium laureth sulfate, coco-betaine, sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium chloride, glycol distearate, hexylene glycol, lactic acid, alcohol denat., hydroxypropyl guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, sodium hydroxide, aminopropyl triethoxysilane, polyquaternium-30, limonene, linalool, carbomer, citronellol, methylchloroisothiazolinone, methylisothiazolinone, parfum

Widely available: ~$6 CAD / 385 ml


Conditioner ingredients: aqua, cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, aminopropyl triethoxysilane, starch acetate, lactic acid, hydroxyethylcellulose, chlorhexidine digluconate, limonene, linalool, isopropyl alcohol, geraniol, cetyl esters, citronellol, parfum

Widely available: ~$6 CAD / 385 ml


Thickening Booster ingredients: aqua, aminopropyl triethoxysilane, PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil, lactic acid, parfum, hydroxyethylcellulose, limonene, linalool, geraniol, citronellol

Widely available: ~$7 CAD / 30 ml