Product Review: The Cocoon Original Vietnam hair tonic, shampoo, and conditioner
My Orange Cake Makeover launched in Vietnam. I had been traveling abroad for a few months and started running out of the personal care products I’d brought. I usually carry more than travel size. I’m very particular about my skin and hair care essentials. New beauty markets make me nervous. They often rely on alcohol-heavy, fragrance-first products from global brands.
(In the Orange Cake Makeover blog and YouTube series, I’ll share more about the products I packed. Also, I’ll discuss a realization. With some effort you can – and should – find amazing local brands when you travel; you don’t have to take EVERYTHING with you.)
I have a sensitive nose, sensitive skin, and textured curls. So, I read ingredient labels and have my preferred actives, oils, and herbs. I pay attention to whether a product is water- or oil-based and the order of ingredients on the label.
In this review, I’ll start with my SUPER STAR find in Vietnam – The Cocoon Original Vietnam. By far the most expansive plant-based brand I tried, it offers skin and hair care products. I collected dozens of Vietnamese products during my travels. Nine of those were from The Cocoon.
THE LINE
Cocoon is a 100% vegan Vietnamese skin and hair care line. It creates formulas made from local fruits and plants that come from sustainable sources. Leaping Bunny, The Vegan Society, and PETA certify them as cruelty-free. Many Vietnamese beauty stores, supermarkets, and tourist markets sell its eco-friendly products. My 3-month stay was in Central Vietnam. But you can be sure to find Cocoon in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, and online. The brand is a prominent national name that is growing its presence in international markets.
In this post, I’ll focus on the first three hair products that I tested: the Pomelo hair tonic, shampoo, and conditioner. I’ve noticed that since I turned 43 this year, my skin and hair care needs have evolved. My skin is drier, my hairline seems thinner, and my neck skin has developed a mood!
HAIR TONIC TO PROMOTE HAIR GROWTH
One of the first new products I looked for was a strengthening hair treatment. I found Cocoon’s Pomelo Hair Tonic in a drugstore while I was heading to an impromptu movie at the mall. The store was going to close by the time the movie was over, so I only had a few minutes to shop and grab a frozen Chinese Tanghulu to smuggle into the theater. Then, Cocoon’s artful box jumped out at me.
I scanned for ingredients and noticed it was a natural skin and hair care line. I am a big fan of citrus oils for clarifying products, and they listed this as moisturizing and nutrient-rich. Vietnam is known for its large, thick-skinned pomelo (or Bưởi). It’s the ancestor of the grapefruit and has properties similar to an orange. A grapefruit is actually a hybrid of a pomelo and a sweet orange. In Vietnam, pomelo is delicious and available everywhere!
The pomelo peel essential oil in this line is good for the scalp. It is antibacterial and full of antioxidants. The Pomelo Hair Tonic has the following noteworthy ingredients:
- pomelo peel oil
- Baicapil
- Bisabolol
- Xylishine
- vitamin B5 (a.k.a. panthenol)
- glycerin
- peppermint oil
THE EXTRACTS
Baicapil is a 99.8% natural, plant-based active. It is made of Baikal Skullcap Root, Wheat Sprout, and Soybean Sprout extracts. Bisabolol is a natural compound extracted from chamomile seed oil. Xylishine, in all three products I tried, is an active sugar. It is extracted from wood and brown seaweed.
THE PROMISES
Cocoon claims the tonic will boost hair growth. It will increase thickness, shine, smoothness, and softness. It will repair damage and reduce hair loss by 60%. These ingredients should strengthen the hair shaft. They will nourish the scalp and follicles, reducing irritation and inflammation.
WHERE & HOW MUCH
Cocoon’s line is everywhere, but each retailer carries different products. Some have the whole line, while others have a product or two. The first time I came across the brand, the hair tonic stood alone, and I grabbed it. The price of these clean ingredients shocked me. I had to use my USD to Dong calculator a few times to make sure I was reading the price tag correctly. In Vietnam, the price for the tonic was only about $7-8 USD.
I liked it so much that I returned to the same drugstore to see if I could find more Cocoon skin and hair care products. I found the Pomelo shampoo. I kept looking at various stores and found and tried a few skincare products before coming upon the Pomelo conditioner. Both the shampoo and conditioner are alcohol-free, sulfate-free, and paraben-free. They do contain a mild perfume.
(Stay tuned for my Vietnam Beauty Travel Shop and Buy List. I’ll share local skin and hair care brands, products I tried, and the links and locations of where to find the best plant-focused beauty on a budget while traveling in Vietnam.)
This store had regular conditioner and a deep conditioner mask. I decided to try the regular one since I was considering this more as my strengthening option and was going to be on the lookout for a non-protein-heavy moisturizing shampoo and conditioner for balance in my routine.
– THE PROTEIN ISSUE –
As you may have learned from the Mielle Organics controversy in 2024, too much protein can harm some hair textures and conditions. It can cause serious breakage. And what I noticed about Vietnam’s hair care products is that they are very protein-heavy. I mean I struggled to find a hair product—shampoo, conditioner, styler, etc.—that didn’t contain protein. Even aloe gel was protein-fortified. I don’t think this is an issue for Vietnamese folks. Vietnamese people are known to have thick and beautiful hair. I finally found an amazing leave-in conditioner at a small shop on my way out of the country. I’ll share about it later. It was a rare find from a smaller maker. I made my own flaxseed gel as a styler while there. A post on making it heatless with only what I could find in my guesthouse room coming soon.
I spent my time in Da Nang and Hoi An. If you go north to Hanoi or south to Ho Chi Minh, you can shop at a major Vietnamese retailer, Beauty Box. They have more skin and hair care brands available. When I visit a country, I aim to explore local products. But in Vietnam, I also bought items from Korea, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and Spain. Subscribe to get notified of those reviews. They include makeup and the best-smelling plant-based shower gel I’ve ever come across.
TREATMENT WITH SHAMPOO + CONDITIONER
The Pomelo shampoo and conditioner have similar ingredients to the tonic and each other. Noteworthy ingredients in them include:
- pomelo peel oil
- vitamin B5
- amino acids (cysteine, arginine, methionine)
- thyme extract
- wheat seed extract
- brown seaweed extract (Xylishine)
- willow herb flower, leaf, and stem extracts
The set is designed to help reduce hair fall and repair damage. The conditioner takes it a step further to smooth hair after washing.
I like the shampoo because it makes my hair feel clean, and I enjoy the aroma, but it is the clarifying squeaky clean that you have to condition right after. The conditioner has a lot of slip and works to detangle my hair and make it soft. It has coconut and peppermint oils. I’m usually not a fan of coconut oil in my hair, but I find the conditioner to have a light texture.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Pomelo products worked well for me in Vietnam’s humidity. I even bleached and colored my hair while there. I used the tonic after, and I’m sure it strengthened my strands. As I was about to leave Vietnam, I found a buy 1 get 1 free sale on the tonic. I almost stocked up but then worried about being over-proteined. The shampoo and conditioner have some of the same active ingredients and protein fortification as the tonic. I had plenty of both of those left. I didn’t see travel sizes, so you’d be committing to full-size bottles. I’m still using them, so I can vouch that they last a long time. I decided to keep the tonic to the one-bottle treatment.
I classify this as a restoring, strengthening, nutrient-rich line with moisturizing properties. But if you need a hydrating shampoo and conditioner, this would not be enough.
– OTHER FACTORS –
In Vietnam, I found out I was very low in calcium and vitamin D. That may explain my recent hair thinning. So, vitamin supplements and changes to my diet likely helped my hairline. I had to say farewell to all the delicious sugared fruits. Products can only do so much. Balanced nutrition, sunlight, and nutritional supplements are important too. I’ve been visiting health food stores as part of my makeover journey. I’ll be sharing more about my favorite wellness finds and retailers.
I appreciated the clean ingredients and strengthening properties of Cocoon’s Pomelo hairline. I would recommend it if you are in Vietnam and dealing with hair loss or hair thinning—but Cocoon won my heart with its skincare essentials.
