Chroma Absolu is the Kérastase line for color-treated hair — sulfate-free, built around anti-porosity care, and designed to keep the color you paid for in the fiber. The question people ask about it is not whether it works but how to use it: which of the two shampoos, whether you need the conditioner or the masque, and what exactly the Gloss is. This guide answers all of it in the order the products go on, and covers the new 500ml sizes and the refillable oil.
What Chroma Absolu Does
Kérastase formulates the line for sensitized or damaged color-treated hair, and the thread running through the line is porosity: color leaves through a porous, roughened fiber, so the shampoos hydrate or nourish while respecting the color, the conditioner and masque fill and strengthen the fiber, and the Gloss seals the surface. Kérastase's own figure for the line is that after six weeks 92% of color intensity is preserved; the Thin shampoo's page adds 74% more brilliant shine. Every shampoo in the line is sulfate-free and sits in HairMNL's sulfate-free shampoos — our sulfate-free shampoo guide places them against the rest of the shelf.
Step 1 — Pick Your Shampoo: Thin or Thick
There are two, and the split is by hair thickness, not by how damaged the hair is. The Sulfate-Free Hydrating Protective Shampoo (Thin Hair) — Bain Chroma Respect, ₱2,170 for 250ml — is the gentle, hydrating wash for fine to medium fiber, a pale rose creamy gel. The Sulfate-Free Nourishing Protective Shampoo (Thick Hair) — Bain Riche Chroma Respect, ₱2,170 — is the rich, nourishing wash for medium to thick fiber. Both cleanse while respecting and preserving the color.
How to use: wet hair, wring out the excess water, apply a quarter-sized amount touch by touch onto five zones of the head, add water and emulsify, and focus this first wash on the scalp with your fingertips. Rinse. A second quarter-sized amount gives a fuller lather that cleanses the lengths to the ends. Rinse, then follow with the conditioner, the masque, or the Gloss. The Thin shampoo now also comes as a 500ml (₱3,700) and a 500ml refill pouch (₱3,150) for the same formula.
Step 2 — Condition: Fondant Cica Chroma or Masque Chroma Filler
Again the choice is thickness. The Anti-Porosity Strengthening Conditioner — Fondant Cica Chroma, 200ml, ₱2,680 — is a lightweight rose cream for fine to medium fiber that hydrates for a soft touch and, per Kérastase, a brighter, shinier, longer-lasting color. The Anti-Porosity Masque — Masque Chroma Filler, 200ml, ₱3,600 — is the rich, deep-filling treatment for medium to thick hair; Kérastase describes it penetrating the fiber core to add strength and resilience and fill porosity. Fine hair takes the Fondant at every wash; thicker hair uses the Masque as its conditioning step.
How to use: for the Fondant, a hazelnut-sized amount on washed, towel-dried hair, massaged through mid-lengths and ends and kept off the roots for lightweight volume, left for two to three minutes, then emulsified and rinsed. For the Masque, a dime-sized amount on washed, towel-dried mid-lengths and ends, again avoiding the roots, massaged in for better penetration, left for five minutes, then emulsified and rinsed.
Step 3 — The Gloss, Explained: Soin Acide Chroma Gloss
This is the product people search for most, and the one most often confused. The Chroma Absolu Gloss — Soin Acide Chroma Gloss, 210ml, ₱3,200 — is a rinse-off resurfacing treatment, not a leave-in and not a separate line: a transparent fluid that turns into a rich white cream on contact with water, hydrating and strengthening the fiber while sealing the cuticle for intense softness, dramatic shine, and less color-induced frizz. Kérastase reports 94% more hydration and 96% stronger hair, with the same 92% color intensity at six weeks.
How to use: on shampooed, towel-dried hair, apply to mid-lengths and ends until saturated — one dose for fine hair, two for thick or long hair — massage the lengths for one to two minutes until the liquid becomes a white cream, then rinse thoroughly, keeping it away from irritated skin and the eyes. Kérastase's tip: once a week, use it instead of the Fondant or Masque, or before them for extra care and shine. (If you were looking for the shine-and-frizz line for long hair rather than a color treatment, that is Gloss Absolu; our Gloss Absolu guide explains the difference.)
Step 4 — Protect: Sérum Chroma Thermique
The Chroma Absolu Serum — Sérum Chroma Thermique, 150ml, ₱2,780 — is the leave-in that shields the color between washes: an anti-frizz, antioxidant heat-protectant serum with lactic acid and centella asiatica that Kérastase says protects against UV-induced damage, humidity, heat, and oxidative stress, with 96% more moisture and 77% less color-induced frizz in its test.
How to use: on towel-dried hair, two to four pumps depending on length and thickness, spread to the tips and comb through, then blow-dry or air-dry; or on dry hair as a finishing touch to tame frizz and boost shine.
Step 5 — Finish: The Radiance Hair Oil, Now Refillable
The Radiance Hair Oil is the last step — enriched with centella asiatica, which Kérastase credits with preserving color and giving hair a fragrant halo; the scent is cardamom and neroli over tuberose, orange blossom, and freesia, with sandalwood, musk, and guaiac wood beneath.
How to use: one or two drops on wet or dry hair from mid-lengths to ends, as a leave-in, a pre-blow-dry oil, or a touch-up through the day. It now comes as a 75ml refillable glass bottle (₱3,450) and a 75ml refill (₱2,950) that screws into it — unscrew the empty refill, plug in the new one, turn to lock, recycle the old one. Per Kérastase, the refill is made from at least 95% recycled plastic and the bottle from at least 30% recycled glass. The Refill Duo (₱6,400) boxes the bottle with a refill. Our hair oils and serums guide compares it with the other Kérastase oils.
The Ritual at a Glance
| Your color-treated hair | Cleanse (double wash) | Condition | Once a week | Protect and finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fine to medium | Bain Chroma Respect (Thin) | Fondant Cica Chroma | Soin Acide Chroma Gloss | Serum, then Radiance Oil |
| Medium to thick | Bain Riche Chroma Respect (Thick) | Masque Chroma Filler | Soin Acide Chroma Gloss | Serum, then Radiance Oil |
The routines come as sets: the Shampoo & Conditioner Duo (Thin Hair) (₱4,850) and Shampoo & Conditioner Duo (Thick Hair) (₱4,850), the Color Care Ritual (Thin Hair) (₱8,050), and the Shampoo Refill Duo (Thin Hair) (₱6,850) with the 500ml bottle and pouch.
Chroma Absolu vs Blond Absolu vs Gloss Absolu
Three Kérastase lines with "Absolu" in the name, three jobs. Chroma Absolu is for color-treated hair of any shade — keeping the color in and the fiber strong. Blond Absolu is for blonde, highlighted, and lightened hair, where the problem is brassiness as much as damage; our purple vs blue shampoo guide explains that side. Gloss Absolu is not a color line at all: it is shine and frizz control for long hair. If you have colored your hair any shade other than blonde, you are in the right place; blondes often keep the Chroma shampoo and swap in Blond Absolu's Cicaflash conditioner, a pairing HairMNL carries as a duo for thin and thick hair — and our post-color care guide adds the one extra product to keep by your shade. For every other Kérastase shampoo by hair type, the complete shampoo guide has the map.
Chroma Absolu, in order: the right shampoo for your thickness, washed twice; the Fondant or the Masque; the Gloss once a week; the serum before heat; a drop of the oil to finish. Every product above is authentic at HairMNL, in the Chroma Absolu collection.
