For anyone with color-treated hair — permanent, semi-permanent, or highlighted — who wants a gentler, lower-pH cleanse aimed specifically at slowing color fade rather than a general-purpose shampoo. Suits all hair types and lengths; not aimed at gray-toning or brass-correcting (that's a separate Biolage purple shampoo), and not sulfate-free, so it's not the right pick for anyone avoiding sulfates altogether.

The real differentiator is the pH: color fades faster when the hair cuticle is repeatedly opened by a high-pH cleanser, so formulating this at a lower pH is a direct, mechanism-based approach to slowing fade rather than just adding a "color-safe" label to a standard shampoo. The orchid extract and soybean oil layered on top are there to reinforce that — sealing in moisture and shine rather than just scenting the product.

It's built and marketed as part of a two-step system with Color Last Conditioner, and Biolage's own "up to 4 weeks" color-fade claim is specifically tied to using both together, not the shampoo in isolation.

Apply to wet hair

• Massage into a lather
• Rinse thoroughly
• Follow with Color Last Conditioner for the full color-protecting system
• Use as a regular shampoo in place of a standard formula

Pros

• Low-pH formula is genuinely gentler on freshly color-treated hair than a standard higher-pH shampoo
• Orchid extract + soybean oil give it a distinct color-protection angle rather than generic conditioning claims
• Vegan and Leaping Bunny-certified cruelty-free, paraben-free, and mineral-oil-free

Cons

• Verified color-fade protection is "up to 4 weeks," notably shorter than the 9-week figure some retailers advertise (which doesn't come from Biolage's own site)
• Contains sodium laureth sulfate and dimethicone, so it's not a sulfate-free or silicone-free option despite the gentle positioning
• Full benefit is tied to also buying and using the matching conditioner