Virtue Labs is a hair-care brand that uses a bio-identical protein created to bind to damaged areas of the hair and support structural repair in its offerings. It aims to address everyday concerns such as breakage, dryness, frizz, thinning, scalp discomfort, and color damage.
The brand claims that its product line may help improve hair strength, softness, and resilience. Its range includes shampoos, conditioners, masks, serums, oils, stylers, and scalp formulas designed to address both immediate hair feel and long-term hair health.
In this review, we’ll analyze the brand’s product offerings, the benefits associated with its formulation approach, and the limitations that may matter depending on your hair needs.
The discussion will also include a look at Virtue Labs’ overall reputation and consumer feedback to give a balanced overview of how its products perform in everyday use.
As per the official website, Virtue Labs is centered on its proprietary protein technology, Alpha Keratin 60ku®. The brand claims to take a research-led approach by offering products aimed at supporting the strength, smoothness, and overall condition of the hair.
Its range is structured by specific concerns, product types, and curated collections, allowing you to choose products based on your hair’s needs. The concern-based categories include damaged hair, thinning and loss, dryness, frizz, volume, curl care, color care, and scalp health.
Virtue Labs offers an extensive lineup of shampoos and conditioners, including Recovery, Full, Smooth, Curl, Purifying, ColorKick® De-Brassing Shampoo, and the Flourish range for thinning hair. These options cover daily cleansing, targeted repair, volume-building, frizz management, curl support, and color maintenance.
The brand’s products provide additional support through formulas like Healing Oil, Damage Reverse Serum, Restorative Mask, Un-Frizz Cream, ColorKick® Illuminating Mask, Exfoliating Scalp Treatment, and the Overnight Scalp & Hair Elixir.
For hair-thinning concerns, it offers a Flourish collection that includes the Flourish Density Booster, Flourish Mask, and Women’s 5% Minoxidil Foam. Virtue Labs claims that all its products are formulated without sulfates, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, or gluten, and the brand identifies as cruelty-free and vegan.
The Overnight Scalp & Hair Elixir is a leave-in serum that may support scalp balance and hair strength. It includes Alpha Keratin 60ku®, a protein sourced from human keratin that integrates with damaged areas of the hair cuticle.
The makers state that this formula helps strengthen weakened cuticle layers, improving surface smoothness and enhancing the hair’s ability to withstand mechanical stress by morning.
Overnight Scalp & Hair Elixir also has hyaluronic acid, which interacts with keratinocytes on the scalp, helping maintain hydration equilibrium by binding water molecules within the stratum corneum. This can reduce nighttime dryness, ease sensations of tightness, and support a more flexible scalp barrier.
As per the official site, this product helps reduce the feeling of fragility and improve manageability over time, particularly in hair exposed to frequent styling, heat, or environmental oxidation that breaks down protein bonds.
Overnight Scalp & Hair Elixir also combines an olive-derived ceramide, which works by filling lipid gaps between skin cells, strengthening barrier integrity to prevent moisture loss and reduce irritation caused by external stressors. This can help enhance shine, reduce friction during brushing, and support a smoother, conditioned feel.
The Damage Reverse Serum may support hair that has experienced breakage, weakened structure, or moisture loss. It could help strengthen the bonds within the hair fiber while replenishing proteins and hydration at the surface. The maker states that this product helps improve the appearance of split ends and enhance softness by stabilizing areas where the cuticle has worn thin or become uneven.
Damage Reverse Serum combines tremella mushroom extract, which mimics the water-binding capacity of hyaluronic acid, allowing it to form a light hydrating film over the hair shaft. It might help improve moisture retention without adding weight, helping strands feel softer and more pliable.
The formula also includes a solar-protection complex, which helps defend the hair from the aging and drying effects of light exposure. It could support both immediate improvement and longer-term resilience.
As per the official website, Healing Oil supports repair in damaged or stressed hair by helping strengthen structure and improve smoothness without adding heaviness. This product also combines tocopherol, which works by neutralizing free radicals formed from UV exposure, heat styling, or pollution factors that can break down the lipids and proteins that keep the cuticle intact. It might help maintain moisture balance at the surface by reducing these oxidative reactions, supporting a softer texture, and limiting the dryness often seen in stressed or porous hair.
Healing Oil also has Tahitian gardenia flower extract, which might help soften the hair’s surface and support manageability. This extract contains monoi compounds, which create a smoother interface between cuticle layers, reducing friction and making detangling easier while offering a gentle, soothing feel on the hair and scalp.
The makers also added kalahari melon seed oil in this formula, which has a high concentration of omega fatty acids, particularly linoleic acid. These fatty acids might replenish the lipid layer that surrounds the cuticle, a barrier often depleted by heat, chemical treatments, or environmental exposure. Healing Oil may also support better elasticity, enhance flexibility, and help the strand maintain a smoother, more nourished finish.
Recovery Shampoo is formulated to cleanse while supporting hair that has been weakened by heat, coloring, or routine wear. It could help remove daily buildup without stripping moisture, allowing the formula to work on filling surface-level damage along the cuticle.
The shampoo contains hydrolyzed quinoa, which can adhere more effectively to the hair shaft. It interacts with negatively charged sites created when the cuticle is lifted or damaged, helping form a protective film that retains moisture.
The makers also added baobab seed oil in this shampoo, which helps replenish lipids that contribute to softness and flexibility. This oil is rich in linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids, which might help restore your hair's health by reducing the roughness associated with repeated heat exposure or chemical processing and improving elasticity over time.
Grapefruit extract in Recovery Shampoo contains vitamin C and antioxidants, which can help refresh the scalp and promote a cleaner, more revitalized feel. Vitamin C may help counter oxidative stress caused by pollution or UV exposure, which often dulls the hair’s surface. The extract’s natural acids also assist in gently breaking down debris, enhancing the shampoo’s ability to boost shine and maintain a clearer, healthier scalp environment.
Recovery Conditioner may help hydrate, strengthen, and renew the hair, offering steady improvement in smoothness and manageability. The conditioner works to smooth frayed areas along the hair shaft, improve flexibility, and reduce the roughness.
As per the official website, Recovery Conditioner includes keratin that helps strengthen weak or damaged sections of the hair. It might help stabilize the hair fiber, improving tensile strength and reducing breakage during brushing or detangling. The formula also combines salvia hispanica (chia) seed extract, which is rich in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that could support the lipid matrix that surrounds the cuticle.
Recovery Conditioner also has helianthus annuus (sunflower) extract, which helps counter oxidative reactions, processes that can weaken surface proteins and contribute to color fade. Its conditioning properties help refine cuticle alignment, supporting improved shine and reduced frizz.
The makers also added moringa oleifera seed oil in this formula, which might help soften brittle ends without heavy residue. Moringa oil is rich in behenic acid, which helps coat and protect the cuticle. It could support flexibility, reduce brittleness, and help create a smoother, healthier appearance over time by replenishing lost lipids.
As per the official website, Flourish Density Booster is a topical scalp serum that supports healthier-looking hair growth without drug-based actives. It could help new and fragile strands develop more easily. The formula may help energize hair follicles while maintaining a calmer, more balanced scalp environment.
Flourish Density Booster features biomimetic signal peptides, which interact with receptors on skin and follicle cells, helping strengthen the scalp barrier and reduce low-grade surface stress. The product also combines saccharomyces lysate, which supports microcirculation and oxygen availability at the scalp surface. Yeast lysates contain enzymes and metabolites that can help improve cellular energy processes (like ATP production), which play a role in maintaining an active follicular environment. They also have calming properties that might help ease dryness or sensitivity.
Flourish Density Booster also combines larch wood extract, which may help increase the proportion of actively growing hairs at any given time by promoting activity in this stage, which supports the appearance of density as more strands remain in the productive part of their cycle.
The 6-in-1 Styler is a lightweight cream that may provide soft control, light hydration, and surface protection while supporting the hair’s natural structure. This formula could help smooth, strengthen, add shine, and offer heat protection.
As per the official website, this styler has panthenol (vitamin B5), which converts into pantothenic acid within the strand. This reduces surface roughness by keeping the cuticle more plump and aligned, which enhances softness and natural shine. Panthenol in this formula may also contribute to improved slip and reduced friction, helping the hair move more easily during blow-drying or brushing.
6-in-1 Styler also combines tocopherol, which interacts with lipid components in the hair’s outer layer, helping prevent oxidative degradation caused by UV exposure, heat, and airborne pollutants. These oxidative processes can weaken the cuticle and make it more porous over time.
The makers also added strengthening polymers in this formula, which might help improve hold and resilience during styling. These naturally derived fixatives form a flexible, breathable film that reinforces the cuticle without stiffness. Their film-forming ability supports shape retention, but they also help distribute mechanical stress more evenly across the strand, which can reduce breakage caused by brushing and high-temperature tools.
According to the official website, the Restorative Treatment Mask helps replenish moisture and supports repair without leaving a heavy or coated feel on the hair. It might help improve softness, shine, and surface smoothness, especially for strands that have become dry, stressed, or heat-affected.
Cystoseira compressa extract in Restorative Treatment Mask contains polysaccharides, minerals, and protective phenolic compounds that help strengthen the outer cuticle. These compounds form a light biofilm that shields the hair from heat-induced dehydration and mechanical wear.
The makers also added amaranthus caudatus seed extract in this formula, which contains peptides and amino acids small enough to interact with damaged sites along the hair shaft, helping strengthen cuticle structure. It could help counteract the oxidative stress caused by UV exposure and pollution, both factors that can dull color and weaken surface integrity.
Restorative Treatment Mask also has cynara scolymus (artichoke) leaf extract, which might tighten and smooth the cuticle. This could help protect the hair fiber from environmental stress and prevent excess moisture loss.
Virtue Labs claims to be a biotechnology-backed brand built around its patented ingredient Alpha Keratin 60ku, a medical-grade human keratin protein that was discovered by regenerative medicine scientists. This protein was originally developed for use in tissue repair and healing before being adapted for cosmetic applications.
Virtue Labs uses Alpha Keratin 60ku, which is a full, intact human keratin protein that behaves like the keratin naturally found in human hair. The brand claims the protein can bind directly to damaged areas in the hair strand, helping to repair and strengthen it at the molecular level.
It highlights using this biotechnology in every product in its line, including its Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner, which are designed to restore damaged or chemically treated hair. The brand states that all products are clinically tested to measure hair strength, elasticity, and smoothness using tensile strength testing and microscopic imaging.
As per the official website, Virtue Labs features peer-reviewed research, laboratory testing, and medical-grade development processes that give its claims scientific legitimacy. This emphasis on evidence-based validation sets the brand apart from traditional cosmetic brands that rely primarily on consumer perception rather than measurable results.
The brand supports its scientific claims with data from clinical and instrumental testing. For example, studies conducted on the Virtue Labs Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner measured improvements in hair strength, smoothness, and elasticity using laboratory methods such as tensile strength analysis and microscopic imaging. Results showed a visible reduction in breakage and improved cuticle alignment after consistent use. These tests are performed both internally and through independent third-party labs to ensure accuracy and objectivity.
Virtue Labs also applies scientific validation to its specialty products, such as the Healing Oil and Split End Serum, both formulated with Alpha Keratin 60ku and additional active ingredients like vitamin E, baobab seed oil, and hydrolyzed quinoa. These formulations are tested to demonstrate performance benefits such as increased shine, smoother texture, and reduced frizz without the use of silicones. Similarly, the Flourish line, designed for hair thinning and scalp health, underwent clinical review to confirm its ability to promote stronger, fuller-looking hair. This consistent use of measurable testing helps strengthen the brand’s focus on provable performance rather than subjective claims.
Virtue Labs presents itself as a clean, science-backed haircare brand that emphasizes responsible formulation and ethical production. Many of its popular products, including the Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner, Restorative Treatment Mask, Healing Oil, and Frizz Block Smoothing Spray, are marketed as cruelty-free and are also said to be free from parabens, sulfates, and synthetic colors.
While these claims position the brand as environmentally conscious, it does not currently provide verified certifications or independently audited data to confirm its sustainability practices. The company has not received formal recognition from third-party organizations such as B Corp for social and environmental performance, which are commonly used benchmarks in the beauty industry.
The brand’s packaging, primarily made from plastic bottles and tubes, is labeled as recyclable, but Virtue Labs does not disclose specific figures such as the percentage of recycled material used, the recyclability rates of its packaging across regions, or any active programs for packaging recovery.
For a premium haircare line that emphasizes scientific innovation, the lack of quantitative sustainability data, for example, on carbon footprint reduction or material sourcing, creates uncertainty about the true environmental benefits of its packaging initiatives.
Virtue Labs has built its reputation around its proprietary Alpha Keratin 60ku technology and premium haircare line, which includes products such as the Recovery Shampoo and Conditioner, Restorative Treatment Mask, and Flourish Density Booster. While the brand highlights its scientific innovation and biotechnology-driven approach, it provides minimal visibility into its executive leadership and scientific advisory team.
Apart from brief mentions of Dr. Luke Burnett, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and bioscientist credited with developing the Alpha Keratin technology, there is limited publicly available information about other members of the brand’s leadership, product development, or R&D teams.
Virtue Labs maintains a relatively low public profile for its key executives. The company’s founder and senior management rarely participate in industry panels, media appearances, or thought leadership discussions about innovation in cosmetic science or sustainability. This lack of executive-level presence in industry conversations makes it difficult for you, partners, and professional stylists to connect with the brand’s vision and long-term direction.
Olaplex and Virtue Labs differ most clearly in their scientific approach and how those choices shape their product portfolios. As per its official website, Olaplex centers its formulas on a single patented molecule, Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate, which appears in products such as No.3 Hair Perfector, No.0 Intensive Bond Building, No.4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo, and No.5 Bond Maintenance Conditioner. This bond-repair mechanism targets disulfide bond breakage commonly caused by coloring, bleaching, and heat styling.
The brand maintains a repair-first identity, offering a streamlined range focused on restoring strength, reducing breakage, and smoothing the hair cuticle through staples like No.6 Bond Smoother and No.7 Bonding Oil.
Virtue Labs takes a broader, structure-focused approach using Alpha Keratin 60ku®, a human-identical keratin designed to bind to damaged areas along the cuticle and cortex. This technology is carried across its products like the Recovery Shampoo, Recovery Conditioner, Restorative Mask, Healing Oil, and Damage Reverse Serum, all intended to strengthen the hair’s structural integrity.
The brand also expands into areas Olaplex does not currently focus on, including thinning and scalp health through the Flourish Density Booster, Women’s 5% Minoxidil Foam, and Exfoliating Scalp formula, as well as concern-specific lines for frizz (Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner), volume (Full Shampoo and Conditioner), curls (Curl Shampoo and Conditioner), and color care (ColorKick De-Brassing Shampoo).
Their formulation philosophies create another clear difference. Olaplex emphasizes performance and bond repair formulas. Virtue Labs, on the other hand, highlights formulations that are free from sulfates, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, and gluten while remaining vegan and cruelty-free.
Olaplex offers a cohesive repair routine built around a small group of core products that work together to address chemical and mechanical damage. Virtue Labs supports a more segmented, concern-based routine, offering targeted solutions for damage, thinning, frizz, curl definition, scalp imbalance, and color maintenance.
Their pricing also reflects this contrast. Olaplex generally ranges from $16–$32 for shampoos and conditioners, and $30–$54 for oils, stylers, and serums. Virtue Labs covers a wider range, with $18–$90 for shampoos and conditioners, $16–$70 for treatments and masks, $30–$134 for growth and thinning products, and $45–$172 for kits.
Olaplex provides a concentrated bond-repair system suitable for recovering from chemical or heat-related damage, while Virtue Labs offers a broader, multi-category approach focused on structural strengthening, scalp support, and specialized concerns.
Prose focuses on personalization, offering made-to-order formulas such as the Custom Shampoo, Custom Conditioner, Custom Hair Mask, Custom Scalp Serum, and Custom Root Source supplements. The brand highlights that its products are built using an 80+ factor consultation and draws from a wide clean-ingredient library with published EWG scores. It also maintains strict formulation standards by avoiding sulfates, parabens, GMOs, mineral oils, phthalates, and other restricted ingredients, keeping the overall approach clean, transparent, and customized to your needs.
On the other hand, Virtue Labs takes a more science-driven direction using fixed, biotechnology-based formulas across collections like Recovery, Full, Smooth, Curl, Flourish, and ColorKick. Its products, including Recovery Shampoo, Recovery Conditioner, Healing Oil, Damage Reverse Serum, and Women’s 5% Minoxidil Foam, are designed around Alpha Keratin 60ku®, a patented human-identical keratin intended to support repair in damaged areas of the hair. Instead of customization, Virtue Labs offers targeted options based on common concerns such as damage, thinning, frizz, scalp issues, or color maintenance.
Their product ranges underscore this difference in approach. Prose delivers customized formulas across shampoos, conditioners, oils, curl care, leave-ins, and supplements, adapting each product to a user’s profile. Virtue Labs offers a wider variety of concern-specific options, including options like ColorKick De-Brassing Shampoo, Overnight Scalp & Hair Elixir, Exfoliating Scalp formula, 6-in-1 Styler, and Volumizing Primer, along with multi-step regrowth systems within the Flourish line. These are standardized formulas designed for consistent, targeted performance.
Pricing also creates a distinction. Prose stays within a steady mid-premium range, with shampoos and conditioners beginning around $29.75 and treatments starting in the low-$40 range. Virtue Labs covers a broader pricing spectrum, with shampoos and conditioners ranging from $18 to $90, and advanced products running higher.
As per their official website, Prose operates as a Certified B-Corp with carbon-neutral production and detailed ingredient traceability. Meanwhile, Virtue Labs maintains ethical standards such as being cruelty-free and free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, synthetic dyes, and gluten, but places more emphasis on scientific innovation than sustainability messaging.
To evaluate Virtue Labs, we looked closely at customer feedback from 2023–2025 on Amazon, focusing on how users across different hair types responded to the brand’s formulas.
The brand’s Flourish Density Booster has received a 3.8 rating from more than 590+ reviews, showing a split between performance success and tolerability concerns. Many users claimed to see fuller-feeling hair and easy integration into their routine, but the fragrance emerges as a repeated issue.
Several customers describe the scent as overly strong or lingering for hours, and several customers experience scalp sensitivity ranging from discomfort to breakouts. Others attribute the reaction to active ingredients like niacin, which can cause temporary warmth on the scalp.
The Flourish Sulfate-Free Shampoo holds a 4.3 rating across over 750+ reviews. The user highlights the product’s non-stripping feel and a lightweight lather suitable for fine or mature hair. Yet some people report increased shedding or heaviness when paired with the matching conditioner. A few users with fine hair also note that effectiveness varies based on how moisturizing products interact with their texture.
On the other hand, the brand’s Healing Oil, with a 4.4 rating from more than 1,300 reviews, consistently received appreciation for reducing frizz, boosting shine, and improving softness without weighing the hair down.
Many customers highlight that it strengthens strands and smooths them more effectively than comparable oils. Even so, a few users cite fragrance preferences and dispensing issues, including difficulty controlling how much product comes out of the bottle.
Based on these reviews, Virtue Labs appears to provide support for volume, smoothness, and hair health for many users. However, fragrance intensity, occasional irritation, shedding variability, and higher price points show up repeatedly across user reviews.
To analyze Virtue Labs, we looked at the brand’s age, scientific background, and how its product line has developed since its launch. The company’s background in regenerative medicine and its use of Alpha Keratin 60ku® highlight its focus on science-informed formulation. It offers a range of products such as shampoos, conditioners, masks, oils, leave-ins, and specialized collections like Smooth, Recovery, and Flourish.
The brand has received an A+ rating on the BBB, which highlights favorable service reliability. It also has a 4.0 rating on Tenereteam, based on 10+ reviews, pointing to generally positive experiences, though the limited review count offered only a partial view of user satisfaction.
These factors indicate that Virtue Labs has a strong scientific foundation and positive service ratings. However, the relatively small volume of independent reviews means that user experiences may continue to change as more long-term feedback becomes available.
Virtue Labs claims to support weakened or damaged areas along the hair shaft through its product range. It supports these claims with clinical testing that measures changes in breakage, elasticity, smoothness, and cuticle alignment.
The brand follows a science-driven ingredient approach, clinically evaluated formulas, and a product lineup designed for defined outcomes rather than broad, generalized use. However, the higher price point can make long-term use challenging, and some formulas may feel heavy or require an adjustment period depending on your hair density, porosity, or scalp condition.
Sustainability information remains limited, with no third-party certifications or published environmental metrics. Leadership visibility is also low, making it difficult to understand the team and the ongoing research efforts behind the technology.
Before considering the brand and its offerings, patch-test the products if you have fine or low-density hair, which may help you avoid buildup or weight. People with sensitive scalps may want to introduce the Flourish line gradually to monitor for irritation.
Using too many keratin-rich products at once may cause stiffness or dryness in protein-sensitive hair, so spacing them out can offer better balance. Color-treated or chemically processed hair may respond differently to keratin-focused formulas offered by the brand, so starting with slower integration can help you assess compatibility.
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