We all vary in our personal care routines, and frankly, some of us have more unforgiving genetics when it comes to hair.
Nowadays though, that doesn’t even matter. Brands like Prose, Function of Beauty, and Aura strive to help us meet our hair care needs, without doing days’ worth of research on which shampoo or conditioner might be good, or might be damaging to your hair.
This “personalized hair care” trend hasn’t been that popular. It was only in recent years, that it caught the eye of millions, and people haven’t bothered to switch back to regular products after trying out one of these three direct-to-consumer brands.
It seems a bit too good to be true. How would hair care products know which formula I need for my hair? Well, the way they find that out is quite interesting, and frankly innovative.
These three, do not offer hair care products. They offer tailor-made shampoos, conditioners, masks, dry shampoos, and more, that would fit your routine, and hair type.
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How Does It Work? – Prose VS Function of Beauty VS Aura
The process is quite simple. All three brands have tests or quizzes you can take, which have a series of question that they can use to determine the right formula and the right ingredients for your hair.
These quizzes often contain questions like: “Is your hair wavy or straight? How thick it is? How old are you? What gender are you?”, and other question of similar nature. These questions are essential to the determination of what formula Prose, Function of Beauty, or Aura should use.
Why hasn’t this method been used before, why start doing this now, and why should we believe it works, since it hasn’t been practiced ever? These are all reasonable questions, and there is a simple answer- it is not cost-effective, and the type of manufacturing that is required doesn’t allow for mass-production.
Regular hair care products manufacturers are oriented towards mass-production, and having hundreds of different formulas just isn’t rewarding as much. But are these just a gimmick, or they genuinely work better than regular shampoos and conditioners?
Prose, Function of Beauty, & Aura VS Store-Bought Hair Care Products
While all that sounds great, and having your personalized formula based on your hair might seem better on paper, but do they work, and how would they fare against brands you would find at the store, typically, products which most of us are used to?
Prose, Function of Beauty, and Aura blow regular hair products out of the water.
It is just impossible to find the “perfect” shampoo, mask, or conditioner, in the store. Plus, doing so, requires a lot of research, and frankly, who has the time to weigh in the pros and cons of each individual shampoo or a conditioner.
With Prose, Function of Beauty, and Aura, it is much more convenient, and, it is not a gimmick, as they actually work. Because these three don’t use any synthetic substances, they will be much less foamy compared to regular shampoos, but they won’t be as damaging or as harsh as them.
NOTE: Synthetic substances which are commonly used as a foaming agent are: sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS). Prose, Function of Beauty, and Aura are all sulfate free!
In my book, that is a win, and I’m sure that most feel that way.
Which One Is Tailored for You? Prose VS Function of Beauty VS Aura
This is a tough one. How do you distinguish which one is for you, if, after all, all three strive on being the best for everyone?
Well, there are a couple of practical aspects we will look at such as what ingredients they have, which of them has a subscription feature, their prices and more. But at the end of the day, each of them has the capacity and capability to suit your needs, it is just minor details that come into question.
Interestingly, while the products they offer are more or less the same ones, some do offer additional ones. With this comparison, you will also see how the differentiate from regular brands that you can buy of the shelf.
Without further ado, let’s see a detailed comparison, to see which could be the perfect fit for you:
| 150Prose VS Function of Beauty VS Aura |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Products | Pre-shampoo mask, scalp mask, shampoo, conditioner, hair oil, dry shampoo, curl cream, leave-in conditioner | Shampoo, conditioner, purple shampoo, leave-in, hair mask, hair serum, hair mist + body and skin care products | Shampoo, conditioner, masque, color enhancing, neutralizing |
| Strengths | A certified B Corporation, sustainable methods, and all-natural ingredients | No sulfate, sustainable methods, vegan, and cruelty-free | Vegan, cruelty-free, no sulfates, recycled materials, and unique |
| Price | Starting at $25, up to $48 | Starting at $29, up to $49 | $28 for the shampoos, conditioners, and masques |
| Return Policy | 30-day return policy | 30-day return policy | 30-day return policy |
| Shop for personalized skin care: |
It comes down to which products you would like to get supplied with, and the prices. Albeit most of them are priced similarly.
Prose Review
Prose is the most reputable out of the three, and it is easy to see why. It seems to be the best long-term option. Why? Well, they have a great membership option for “The Saloon”, and there are tons of great things you get for your money. Things such as appointments, new and special products, the best deals, are just a few things that you can mention about the membership.
We were surprised with the prices being so affordable. Compared to regular old shampoo brands, these won’t break the bank, and the extra bit of personal experience you have with the unboxing is a plus. Granted, we wanted to see more branding and flamboyancy like Function of Beauty, but it is still what you would call “reasonable design and branding”.
As for their products, they speak for themselves. Like I said, this is the most reputable brand of the bunch, and it is easy to see why so many people have ditched their old ways to Prose.
There are some positives and negatives you should look out for though. Here is a list of them:
PROS
- Dedicated to reducing the carbon footprint
- Personalized hair products
- Millions of formulas available
- No sulfates
- Healthier, shinier, and much softer hair
- Alcohol-free
CONS
- No international shipping
- A small number of customers have reported opposite effects
- Not many other products
Function of Beauty Review
Function of Beauty is quite different compared to the other two. This is the one to go for if you’re also looking for a skin and body care supplier. They have everything from body wash and lotion to moisturizers for your skin.
Indeed, one if its strongest side is its branding. Compared to Prose, Function of “You” is what you might expect from a direct-to-consumer brand in terms of branding. Wonder whether Function of “You” was a typo? It isn’t. Function of Beauty picks out the formulas for your product, and then, to add a bit of character, it lets you customize the bottles, by printing out your name or nickname.
Truly exceptional. Plus, the unboxing experience is great.
When we compared prices of similar products to Prose, Function of Beauty’s products came only a few dollars more. Still, it must be weighed in whether you’re willing to spend some extra dollars for the branding, and also the additional body and skin care products.
In any case, to help you decide whether you should ultimately go for Function of Beauty, instead of Prose, we looked at what might be some of the pros and cons to going this route:
PROS
- Exceptional branding
- Dye-customizable
- 100% vegan and cruelty-free
- No sulfates
- Every hair type covered
- Good lathering capabilities – shampoo
CONS
- Doesn’t ship worldwide, only a few selected countries
- A few bucks pricier than Prose, and other personalized hair care brands on the market
- A bit difficult to nail your formula
Aura Review
Aura is the underdog. It came in with some exceptional products back in January of 2021. Still, compared to these two, it doesn’t feel like that.
You get the same amount of quality and the same grade of effectiveness at lower prices. Everything is great from their shampoo to their color enhancers, but we did find the ordering and shopping process a bit overwhelming. We couldn’t really browse all the products they have, instead, you must choose one product, and then customize it.
It was a bit too much, but once you get to the single product page, it gets much simpler and straightforward.
All of the three companies have great quizzes, but Aura’s one seems easier to do, and not that time consuming. Although this isn’t a big enough factor, since you would want to spend the extra few minutes to get your formula right. But it does go to show that they’ve nailed the process.
In similar fashion to Function of Beauty and Prose, we looked at Aura’s pros and cons:
PROS
- Unique and patented technology
- Thought out ingredients
- Vegan
- No sulfates
- Packages are made from recycled materials
- Good washing power
- Cruelty-free
CONS
- Confusing shopping process
- Branding is bland
- Some scents are overpowering
Best Shampoo Option – Prose VS Function of Beauty VS Aura
This is a tough one to determine.
Since all of them are personalized shampoos, there is no clear way to distinguish which one is best. But the best way we could think of to come to an answer to this question, was to look at what some of the customers are saying about the product.
As it stands, Prose is a great long-term option, there is no getting around it. The only thing which customers took note of, was the fact that you do have to do a bit of tweaking to get the right formula. But after that, you’re pretty much set. Function of Beauty and Aura are of similar nature, but the tweaking has to be done with time.
After a while, many reported that they “outgrew” the shampoo, and that further tweaking had to be done. While this is subjective, we didn’t see much of those comments made towards Prose.
In any case, you might find yourself tweaking the formula a bit with all three. As for which one is the best option, it really depends on the individual shampoos. This is where the tests for your personalized shampoos might make a difference.
Aura seems to use the richest and most luxurious ingredients, but as far as which has the most cleaning power, and which leaves your hair moisturized, they’re pretty much all on point.
Head-to-Head Comparisons
I’m guessing that all three are appealing to everyone, and it is easy to see why.
These brands show what is capable and how much we lack in the haircare industry. We have been stuck to the old ways for long enough, and it is time to switch it up a bit. But what if you don’t know which one to choose from two particular brands?
Well, in order to take care of that, we pinned each of these brands against each other. That way we looked at the strengths and weaknesses of each one, and ultimately for who they work and don’t work.
Prose VS Function of Beauty – Two Rivals
These two, mostly have the same lineup of products, except that Function of Beauty also covers some skin care and body wash products. While we’re on the subject, it is fair to say that they work as efficiently as their main product lineup, which is the hair care one.
Because both of these are highly customizable, it is really difficult to know which is best. It comes down to the formula you will get, but either way, most of the time you will end up with similar ingredients and similar efficiency.
Scents, dyes, packaging, branding, might all come into play here. Those are radically different between the two, and the only way to know which might be more suitable for you is to try out both.
However, I can say only one thing for Prose. It might be the better long-term choice. Why?
Like I said before, they have a premium membership which will give you exclusive deals, new products, and stuff of similar nature. Again, Prose lacks in the skin care and body wash department.
So, if you’re looking for a brand that will cover almost all of your needs, then Function of Beauty might be the clear choice. Also, both sites of both companies greatly present how the product looks and the packaging for it. So, if you’re looking for something that is highly Instagrammable, look into that as well.
Prose or Aura for Your Personalized Hair Care?
Even though Aura started not that long ago, and straight out of the gate, they’ve managed to be on par as some of the widely-recognized brands on the market, such as Prose and Function of Beauty.
Aura also comes with pigments that are designed to wash out over time. They have multiple categories of pigments raging from darker and more colorful options, and less powerful, that are designed to act as a touch up for your hair color. Plus, on the cost-effectiveness side, Aura has Prose beat by quite a bit. Still, both are affordable options, but I though I had to put that out there.
As far as packaging and branding are concerned, both are nothing special. Prose is more old-school with old-school bottles, while Aura comes in purple-colored bottles, which are more modern. But all in all, Function of Beauty is the clear winner on that front.
Here, it makes sense going for Aura if you want some color enhancement or neutralizing. However, Prose still remains the better alternative for long-term, if you don’t need pigments.
Between the two, there are more difference to the materials compared to the head-to-head between Prose and Function of Beauty. Aura has some exceptional and luxury ingredients, that might give you that extra oomph.
Which One Is for You? Function of Beauty VS Aura
Like the previous matchup, it’s all about whether you need pigments or not. So, if you frequently change your hair color, Aura might be the perfect choice. Although, it is quite hard to ignore the fact that Function of Beauty can take care all of your needs, or if not all, most.
Indeed, it is also much easier to shop on Function of Beauty instead of Aura. You can browse easily, albeit, not as good as Prose, but still way better than Aura.
Plus, it is very convenient to shop for body wash and skin care products from the same place that supplies your hair care products. One thing to also add to that convenience scale is the fact that you have much more personalization when it comes to subscriptions. You can adjust how frequently you get your regular top-up, which is something missing at Aura.
We do not know the future projections of Aura, but they seem to be doing good at the moment. Maybe if there are some changes to the shopping experience, but also implementation of new products, the odds might favor Aura. But it still remains the best option for those that like pigments.
Additionally, it is quite inexpensive even if you are not into pigments. At the time of writing, Aura doesn’t have that many products, although that might change in the future, as more and more people choose it as their primary skin care supplier.
We would love for that to happen. However, as it stands at the moment, Function of Beauty seems the all-round best package.
The Verdict: Best Personalized Hair Care Products – Prose VS Function of Beauty VS Aura
Quite an unorthodox method of getting something as basic as a shampoo. But these days, with all of the environmental factors, and some genetic predispositions, we need some sustainable personalized hair care options. Care for our hair should be one of our top priorities, and it is thanks to brands like Prose, Function of Beauty and Aura, that we can do that.
Compared to the regular shampoos you can get off the shelf, these are much better in every way, for example, convenience, effectiveness, positive effect, just to name a few.
But as we saw, not every one of these brands is for everyone. For starters, Prose should be considered by those that like a long-term solution for their hair-care supplies. It is the overall best package, and the fact that there is a membership program, is a big plus, as you can get a lot of discounts that way.
As for those that like colored hair, and frequently experiment, Aura has the best all-round package. From pigments to natural touch-ups, you really can’t go wrong.
The last one, Function of Beauty, has some great subscription personalization, which means that you will have an easy time of managing your hair care cabinet. Because of that, it is the most convenient option from the list.
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