After having drastically transformed my hair recently, I got heavily into hair bond treatments. (See here.) Elizavecca CER-100 Collagen Ceramide Coating Protein Treatment has not only a REALLY unwieldy name, but also has thousands of positive Amazon reviews and is touted as a ‘budget Olaplex dupe’. But is it?! More in my Elizavecca CER-100 Treatment review.
Brand
Elizavecca is a Korean brand under the umbrella of MIZ Trade, founded in 1986. It claims to have released the first Korean BB cream in 1993, and prides itself on using ‘natural’ ingredients.
Elizavecca CER-100 Treatment review: What is it?
At the end of 2022, the TikTok community called the Collagen Ceramide Treatment an Olaplex dupe. When I had my hair bleached and freshly dyed recently, I was on the lookout for bond repairing treatments, and it was impossible to not stumble over raving reviews of the Elizavecca treatment. While most bond treatments are incredibly expensive, this one is really affordable (albeit in a small 100ml tube). I threw it into my cart at my last A-Beauty shopping spree at Stylevana, and can (spoiler) report that it’s truly great – but not really an Olaplex dupe.
Description
Pig collagen treatment protects and supplies nutrients to hair damaged by dyeing or frequent styling. Herbal extracts, hydrolyzed milk and silk amino acids relieve stress and stimulate scalp to improve hair elasticity and softness.
(via iHerb)
After shampooing, dry off with towel and apply to whole parts of your hair. Rinse out with tepid water after 5-20 minutes.
Refresher: hair bonds and bond repair
Every single hair is made up of three layers. The core is made of keratin (a protein made up of peptides and amino acids). Those peptides – called polypeptides – cross with side bonds to form a complex protein that give the hair its structure. Peptides form the strongest bonds in our hair, but if they start to break, hair becomes weak and damaged.
There’re three different types of side bonds: disulfide, salt and hydrogen bonds. Those bonds can be broken by water, heat styling, high pH, mechanical and chemical damage.
Ingredients helping to ‘repair’ bonds
Proteins are absorbed by damaged hair and will improve strength and elasticity and temporarily will seal gaps in the outer layer of the hair and seal split ends. This doesn’t mean they ‘repair’ damaged hair. They temporarily strengthen and protect hair, but don’t ‘repair’. (You can usually spot those on ingredient lists by ‘hydrolyzed xyz protein’ or ‘keratin’.)
Salt bonds will break when exposed to high pH products, so pH balanced products are important! (Formulators often use citric acid to lower the pH.)
Cationic surfactants are conditioning ingredients that have a positive charge. Damaged hair, on a molecular level, has a negative charge, will attract cationic surfactants and form a salt bond. Look out for quaternary ammonium compounds (called quats). They’re positively charged, no matter the pH of the surrounding solution and often used as conditioning agents, because they act similar to silicones (promote shine, manageability etc.).
Amodimethicone is used in a lot of conditioning products, because it also has a positive charge, binding it to damaged hair.
Ingredients
Water, cetearyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, glycerin, amodimethicone, cyclopentasiloxane, citric acid, isopropyl alcohol, cetrimonium chloride, sodium benzoate, dimethicone, trideceth-12, panthenol, fragrance, tocopheryl acetate, caramel, butylene glycol, cornus officinalis fruit extract, rehmannia glutinosa root extract, dioscorea japonica root extract, alisma orientale tuber extract, paeonia suffruticosa root extract, poria cocos sclerotium extract, ceramide np (ceramide 3) (10 mg), alcohol, hydrolyzed silk, hydrolyzed collagen (100 ppm), gelatin, hydrolyzed keratin, avena sativa (oat) kernel extract, 1,2-hexanediol, hydrolyzed wheat protein (10 ppm), hydrolyzed corn protein (10 ppm), hydrolyzed soy protein (10 ppm), phenoxyethanol, daucus carota sativa (carrot) root extract, brassica oleracea italica (broccoli) extract, apium graveolens (celery) extract, brassica oleracea capitata (cabbage) leaf extract, oryza sativa (rice) ex tract, brassica rapa (turnip) leaf extract, ethylhexyl glycerin, solanum lycopersicum (tomato) fruit/leaf/ stem extract
(via iHerb)
Proteins, citric acid and amodimethicone – check, check and check. All assembled in the formula. Nice!
Collagen for hair
I’ve never heard of the benefits of collagen applied topically for hair before, yet here we are. Let’s be clear on two fronts: Elizavecca’s collagen comes from pig skin, and no, there aren’t vegetarian collagen options. Collagen (different to, say, squalene) is always animal-sourced. Second, while there’re proven benefits for collagen when ingested (no need to buy supplements, you can just eat collagen rich meat, gummibears or anything with gelatine), there’s less said about topical applied collagen. In the best case, it acts as an hydrator to the scalp and hair follicle.
Ceramides for hair
Again, there’re ceramides in hair?! Ceramides are lipids, acting as building blocks of the skin and providing a healthy skin barrier. But, lo and behold, there’re also ceramides in the hair shaft, the outermost layer of the hair. These help to keep the hair cuticle closed, while raised cuticles allow moisture to evaporate and hair looking damaged. Replenishing ceramides via a mask or conditioner works much like ceramides in a moisturizer would. They create a barrier to lock in moisture.
Application
I use the treatment in place of a hair mask. I don’t bother to towel dry my hair before using it, but make sure there’s as little water in my hair as possible. Then, I leave it in for a time between 10 and 15 minutes. (There’s no way I leave that in for 20 minutes. I do have a life!) I use a very generous amount and work that in in two parts. Usually I part my hair roughly in the middle as if I’d do pigtails, and work in the treatment from my ends upwards. Afterwards, I rinse it out very thoroughly, making sure that nothing remains on my scalp (which is, in my experience, a surefire way to get itchy scalp via product left on skin). I sometimes use a conditioner afterwards.
Effect
Oh yeah baby! This is niiiiiiiiiiiiice! My hair feels fuller, less frizzy and somehow sturdier and less damaged. I can brush it easily, because it’s not knotty as usual. It has some body and shine.
Elizavecca CER-100 Treatment review: Worth it?
Here’s the great thing about the treatment, which garnered a cult following: it has a great ingredient combo. There’re quats, amodimethicone, citric acid and proteins. While some of them might be in a lot of haircare products, it’s rare to see them all at once in one single product. The great price point is unmatched. What it won’t do is repair your hair bonds. It’ll condition them, though, and keep them manageable and shiny. And that’s great!
What’s less great: the craze for collagen beauty products have recently been linked to rainforest deforestation. Apparently, instead of being a ‘by-product’ as often claimed by the industry, more than half of all animals farmed there are used solely for beauty products. Which is a chilling thought for me that definitely makes me ponder to buy this product again.
Availability & Price
It’s available at the usual K-Beauty websites. I got mine from Stylevana, where a double pack (the tubes are small with just 100ml) is about 10-12$.
Please note that this review is not sponsored in any way. We buy products ourselves, with our own money, and don’t accept exchanging goods, or money, for reviews. We are completely independent, and our reviews reflect that.
