Tsujimoto Market: Our Guarantees
Description
DECORTÉ AQ Boosting Treatment Hair Serum 200 ml — Japanese Pre-Treatment Hair Booster
Overview
Kose took the booster-essence idea from the DECORTÉ AQ skincare line — a thin, watery layer applied before the rich step so the rich step has somewhere to go — and built a hair version of it. This is that product: 200 ml, water-based, used on squeezed-out hair after shampooing and before your conditioner, which then rinses out over the top of it.
The previous version of this page credited the formula to "exclusive Mucina Gigantea flower extract". No such ingredient appears in Kose's published list and we could find no source for it, so we have taken it out rather than reword it. What Kose does publish is below. The serum contains ethanol, which the old page did not mention either. See also our Japanese haircare range and a treatment to layer over it.
Key Benefits
- ✓ Ingredient list corrected against Kose's own published data, with an invented ingredient removed
- ✓ Birch sap, rosehip fruit extract and Spatholobus suberectus extract — the botanicals actually declared
- ✓ Polyquaternium-51, a film-forming conditioning polymer, in a water-thin base rather than a heavy cream
- ✓ Water-based and light: it does not weigh hair down the way a second cream treatment would
- ✓ Sold in Japan with a refill pouch, so the bottle is worth keeping
- ✓ Shipped from our base in Kobe, Japan with tracking, in the Japanese domestic packaging
Product Details
| Brand | DECORTÉ (AQ) |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Kose Corporation |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Product type | Booster essence for hair, used between shampoo and conditioner |
| Volume / count | 200 ml (refill sold separately in Japan) |
| Format | Water-thin liquid, pump |
| JAN code | See package label |
| Regulatory status | Cosmetic (not a quasi-drug) |
Who Is This For?
- People with bleached, repeatedly coloured or chemically straightened hair, where a rich treatment sits on the surface
- Users of the DECORTÉ AQ skincare line who want the same routine logic applied to hair
- Anyone whose hair feels coated but still rough — a sign the treatment is not getting in
- Not worth it if: your hair is in decent condition; a better conditioner will do more for the money
- Check first if: you avoid alcohol in cosmetics — this serum contains ethanol
How to Use
- Shampoo, then squeeze the water out of the hair with your hands.
- Dispense one to two pumps — around four for medium-length hair — into the palm.
- Apply to the mid-lengths and ends, concentrating on the damaged areas. Avoid the scalp.
- Comb through with the fingers so it is spread evenly.
- Apply your conditioner or treatment over the top and rinse both out together.
Frequency: Two to three times a week, or at every wash on very damaged hair
Full Ingredients
Published ingredients: water, glycerin, diglycerin, ethanol, butylene glycol, propylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, stearyltrimonium chloride, Rosa canina fruit extract, Spatholobus suberectus stem extract, white birch (Betula alba) sap, polyquaternium-51.
Kose publishes the leading part of the list rather than the complete INCI for this product. What is above is what is disclosed; the full list is printed on the bottle.
The manufacturer publishes the actives and the headline ingredients but not the complete INCI list online. What is shown above is what is disclosed; the full list is printed on the package you receive.
Cautions
- Contains ethanol (alcohol), which can sting dry or reactive skin — patch test first if your barrier is compromised.
- Contains ethanol (alcohol), which matters if you avoid alcohol-containing cosmetics for religious reasons. The product carries no halal certification.
- For hair only. Avoid the eyes and rinse with plenty of water on contact.
- Stop and consult a doctor if the scalp reddens, itches or flakes after use.
- Keep out of reach of children. Store away from direct sunlight and high temperatures.
Package Contents
1 × pump bottle, 200 ml. Japanese domestic packaging with Japanese-language labelling.
Shipping & Store Notes
- Ships directly from Japan
- Processing time: 2–6 business days
- Tracking number provided after dispatch
- Import duties and taxes may apply depending on destination country
- Opened cosmetics cannot be returned for hygiene and safety reasons
Authenticity Guarantee
Every product at Tsujimoto Market is sourced directly from Japan and verified for authenticity. We never sell fakes or grey-market goods. Each order is carefully packed in Kobe, Japan and dispatched with full tracking.
FAQ
A serum before the conditioner — is that not one step too many?
It is a fair question, and the answer depends on how damaged your hair actually is. A booster is a thin, water-based layer that goes onto squeezed-out hair before the treatment; the treatment then seals over it. On hair that is in decent condition you will struggle to tell the difference, and the honest advice is to spend the money on a better treatment instead. On bleached, repeatedly coloured or chemically straightened hair — where the cuticle is porous and a rich treatment sits on top rather than going in — the thin layer first is doing something a thick one cannot.
Do I have to buy the matching shampoo and treatment together?
No — each works on its own, and the pairing is a marketing structure as much as a formulation one. What is true is narrower: a shampoo that leaves the cuticle slightly acidified gives the treatment that follows a marginally better surface to sit on, and the two share a fragrance so they do not fight each other in the shower. If your budget stretches to one of the pair, buy the treatment: it stays on the hair, while shampoo is on the head for ninety seconds and then goes down the drain.
The packaging is in Japanese — how do I know what I am using?
The carton and bottle carry Japanese-language labelling, because this is stock made for the Japanese domestic market. Where an ingredient list appears on this page, it is translated from that labelling or from the manufacturer's own published data; where the manufacturer does not publish one, the ingredients section says so rather than filling the gap. Either way, send us a photo of anything unclear on the box after delivery and we will translate it, and ask us before ordering if you need the full label list first.
Is this an authentic Japanese product?
Yes. We buy through Japanese distribution channels and ship from our base in Kobe, Japan. We do not sell grey-market or parallel-import stock, and the packaging you receive is the Japanese domestic packaging, with Japanese-language labelling.
Will I pay customs duty or import VAT?
That depends on your country and on the declared value of the parcel, not on us. We ship from Japan with a correct customs declaration and full tracking; any duty or import VAT your country charges is collected by your local carrier or customs office on delivery. Check your national de-minimis threshold before ordering if you want to avoid a surprise.
