WTF is... Epres anyway?
Some people WAY over-achieved during lockdown. I tried the new rival to Olaplex and K18 and, well...
So… WTF is it?
Well… Remember Olaplex?
One of its inventors was a guy called Dr Eric Pressly1. He ended up successfully suing the shit out of L’Oreal2 for violating Olaplex patents and then rode off into the sunset, leaving Olaplex in 2019 with some L’Oreal $$$ in his pocket.
Then, bored during the pandemic3 he “bought chemicals to play around with” in his garage and created Epres, a new challenger in the hair-repairing arena. It launched in 2022.
As of this week, there’s also a shampoo and conditioner.
What’s the point of it? I mean, what does it actually do?
Similar to Olaplex, it rebuilds broken disulfide bonds to improve hair’s overall strength, elasticity and health
How does it work?
It only has 4 ingredients 🤯: diethylhexyl maleate, oleyl alcohol, alcohol denat, and stearamidopropyl dimethylamine.
Epres’s innovation is liquid molecule Biodiffusion technology, which (per the brand’s claims) enables it to continue to repair bonds long after application. K18 and Olaplex are made up of solid molecules that stop working when they dry.
And why would someone want it?
People like options, right? But there are some obvious potential benefits:
This performs the same function as Olaplex, but is a leave-in treatment, so is less fiddly.
It’s acid-free (unlike Olaplex), so is theoretically gentler to hair.
It’s also biodegradable and you dilute it with water when you’re ready to use it. The lack of water gives it a longer shelf life - once you add water, you’re advised to use it within 2 months.
How much is it?
The treatment is £46/$50. Shampoo and conditioner are £31/$34 each.
They claim the treatment gets you 6-8 applications from the 2 bottles provided. More on this below…
Does it hurt?
No.
Have I had it?
Yes.
So I was a long-time (now lapsed) user of Olaplex, then a recent K18 evangelist and I decided to throw this into the mix for comparison.
Would I have it?
It’s not a repurchase for me. I used what I had up, but we have now parted ways.
The good:
It’s very easy to use, you spray it onto dry hair whenever you like and then - as long as it’s been on for 10 minutes - rinse out when you feel like it. Even days later, if that’s your preference.
They recommend that you wash out before using heated styling tools, so bear that in mind.
I didn’t love these elements:
The smell is even worse than Olaplex. Weird, earthy and chemical-y.
You have to completely saturate hair with the product. I have TONS of hair. Kilos of it. I had to use over half the bottle for one treatment. So this did not last me long.
I tried leaving it in for 24 hours - some ladies of the internet swore by this, with some leaving it on for 48 hours - and it just weighed my hair down. And did I mention the smell?
I remain a K18 superfan until further notice.
Should you have it?
I’m not going to try to talk you out of it, but I didn’t love it.
Anything else I think you should know?
Just that I’m very much still in my Cher era.
Until next time! x
Disclaimer: ‘WTF is…’ guides are intended to be a 3-5 minute introduction to a topic. They are, by their nature, not exhaustive.
If you have a concern that I’ve irresponsibly included/omitted information, don’t hesitate to get in touch to let me know and I’ll take a look.
Reminder that any cosmetic work undertaken should be in accordance with The 6 rules of cosmetic work. Here they are, in case you missed them the first time…
Epres - see what he did there?
I mean, we were all bored during the pandemic, but I went down the more traditional route of becoming obsessed with roasting the perfect chicken and then having a full mental breakdown.