Is ULULIS a Water-Based Hair Oil?
What "Water Conc" Actually Means
When most people think of "hair oil," they picture a product that sits on top of the hair and makes it look smooth and shiny. That description fits most hair oils on the market โ because most hair oils are silicone-based. ULULIS was built on a different premise, and "Water Conc" is the brand's name for it. This is what it actually means.
What Most Hair Oils Are (And Why ULULIS Is Different)
The majority of hair oils in global mass-market products โ including many well-known Japanese brands โ use silicones as the primary base. Cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone, and dimethiconol are among the most common. These are effective surface agents: they coat the hair shaft, smooth the cuticle, and create a glossy appearance. They're also stable, inexpensive, and easy to formulate with.
The limitation is functional: silicones work on the surface. They don't penetrate the hair cortex, don't repair internal structure, and don't absorb โ they sit on the outside of the shaft and wash off with your next shampoo. For healthy hair that just wants shine and smoothness, this is fine. For hair with moisture problems, damage, or structural degradation, surface coating alone doesn't address the underlying issue.
Surface Action
- Coats the cuticle externally
- Creates smooth, shiny appearance
- Effect is instant and visible same-day
- Washes off with every shampoo
- No cumulative benefit over time
- Can build up with daily use
- Cannot penetrate the cortex
- Works the same on all hair types
Penetrative Action
- Absorbs into the hair shaft
- Immediate + cumulative benefit
- Water-soluble โ does not build up
- Repair actives work inside the cortex
- Results improve over weeks
- No residue or greasy finish
- Works differently by hair damage level
- Targets moisture and structural issues
What "Water Conc" Actually Means
"Water Conc" is ULULIS's proprietary term for their formulation philosophy: Water Concentrate. It refers to a formula architecture where more than 90% of the product (95%+ in the Premium Black Serum line) consists of water-soluble moisture and repair actives โ rather than the silicone or lipid base that constitutes the majority of conventional hair oils.
This is a significant departure from standard formulation practice. Building a stable, effective product with a water-soluble base rather than a silicone base requires a different emulsification approach and a different active ingredient selection. The result is an oil that looks and pours like an oil, but behaves more like a concentrated serum when it contacts the hair shaft.
What's Actually Inside the Bottle
For comparison: a standard silicone hair oil typically inverts this ratio โ 70โ85% silicone base (cyclopentasiloxane, dimethicone) with 15โ30% actives. The silicone provides the oil's texture and cosmetic smoothing effect; the actives are secondary in volume.
| Active Ingredient | Type | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| PDRN (DNA-Na) | Cellular repair | Restores internal moisture capacity at the cortex level |
| Tosureaยฎ | Bond repair | Bonds to broken disulphide sites inside the shaft |
| Hydrolysed Keratin (10ร) | Protein fill | Fills micro-gaps in the cuticle and cortex |
| Soluble Collagen Water (10ร) | Moisture film | Seals the cuticle and holds repair actives in contact |
| Exosome Complex | Barrier support | Supports hair barrier integrity and repair signalling |
| Black Serum Water | Structural resilience | Fermented black rice + black soy peptide + black pearl protein |
| Niacinamide | Scalp support | Antioxidant, scalp surface clarity |
| Black Diamond Truffle | Conditioning | Luxury botanical nutrient complex, depth conditioning |
The Practical Difference โ What You'll Actually Notice
The Water Conc formula produces a noticeably different experience from silicone oils on application and in the days after.
| Experience | Standard Silicone Oil | ULULIS Water Conc |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate feel on hands | Slippery, slick | Slightly water-like, absorbs quickly |
| Application feel on hair | Coating sensation, instant slip | Absorbs rather than sits on top |
| Finish after drying | Glossy, sometimes heavy | Silky with subtle natural gloss |
| Weight on fine hair | Can feel heavy, weigh down | Lightweight โ start with 1โ2 pumps |
| After 1 week | Consistent โ same every use | Noticeably improved โ actives accumulating |
| After 4 weeks | Same as week one | Structural improvement in texture and frizz |
| Build-up with daily use | Yes โ clarifying shampoo needed periodically | No โ water-soluble base doesn't accumulate |
| Scalp safety | Avoid scalp โ can clog follicles | Avoid scalp โ oil is for the shaft, not scalp |
Who Water-Based Hair Oils Suit Best
Silicone oils mask bleach damage. Water Conc with PDRN and Tosurea actually addresses it at the structural level.
Water Conc is lightweight and absorbs โ far less likely to weigh down fine hair than silicone base oils at equivalent dosage.
No build-up risk. The water-soluble base is safe for daily leave-in application without clarifying shampoo cycles.
Apply to mid-lengths and ends only โ as with any hair oil. The Water Conc base is less likely to cause follicle-clogging if contact occurs accidentally.
Water Conc delivers silk and natural gloss โ not the wet, mirror-finish look of silicone. If high-gloss is the only goal, a silicone oil delivers that effect more dramatically.
The collagen water and keratin film provide heat protection alongside repair. Apply before blow-drying as standard.
Common Questions
Shop ULULIS Black Serum on TokyoShelf
ULULIS Premium Water Conc. Black Serum Hair Oil 100ml
Japan-domestic formula. 95%+ water-soluble repair actives. PDRN + Tosurea + exosomes. Sourced from Matsumotokiyoshi, Tokyo.
Shop Hair Oil โULULIS Premium Water Conc. Black Serum Shampoo 340ml
Amino acid base ยท sulphate-free ยท Water Conc system from step one.
Shop Shampoo โULULIS Premium Water Conc. Black Serum Treatment 335g
Highest-concentration repair step in the routine ยท rinse-out ยท daily use.
Shop Treatment โFurther reading: What Is PDRN in Hair Care ยท Which ULULIS Line Is Right for You ยท Full Black Serum Hair Oil Review