Prose vs. Function of Beauty — how the 2 most popular personalized haircare companies stack up
- The shampoos and conditioners from Function of Beauty and Prose are personalized to your exact hair type and hair goals.
- Function of Beauty is more affordable, customizable, and suitable for gifting, while Prose has a more thorough hair quiz, more product options, and is more expensive.
- Ultimately, we prefer Prose because it has more to offer and the quiz is more in-depth. But we enjoyed testing formulas from both brands, so it's up to factors like budget and your specific hair needs.
Forget monograms and engravings — the future of personalization lies in data and algorithms, which are being used to make everything from personalized vitamin packs to personalized pillows.
In women's haircare, Function of Beauty, founded in 2015, and Prose, founded in 2017, are popular startups hoping that you never settle for catch-all shampoo and conditioner (or, god forbid, two-in-one shampoo and conditioner) again.
By using your answers to a "hair quiz" to create a unique formulation filled with natural, effective ingredients, they both make haircare personal, which, considering the multitudes of hair types and needs out there, is the way it should've been all along.
Function of Beauty and Prose share many similarities, including their basic business models (personalized haircare, delivered), a ton of funding ($12.2 million and $25 million, respectively), and even founders utilizing their MIT smarts.
So, which one do we like better?
We've tried both Function of Beauty and Prose's shampoo and conditioner, so we can attest to their quality, customer experience, and ingredients.
While we enjoyed the formulations from both brands, we lead in favor of Prose because its hair quiz is more in-depth and thoughtful and it offers a larger selection of products for different hair types. However, it's more expensive and is only available in the US. If you don't want to spend quite as much, Function of Beauty is still a great choice.
Ultimately, we'll let you make the final decision after comparing the factors that matter most to you. To help you distinguish between these two leading personalized haircare companies, we compared them head-to-head on important factors like the level of customization, customer experience, price, and ingredients.
We've laid out the similarities and differences between Function of Beauty and Prose:
How they work
First, take a hair quiz, the answers of which will be used to create your customized formula. Then, choose which products or set of products you want to buy.
Prose sends you your hair-care products in five to 10 days while Function of Beauty takes between seven to nine days. Both services let you go back to your profile and readjust your hair quiz answers, and thus your formulation, when you want to reorder.
The hair quiz
Function of Beauty asks you some basic questions about your hair and scalp type, then has you select up to five hair goals (choices include volumize, color protection, anti-frizz, and curl definition). By asking what you want out of your shampoo and conditioner, the company assumes you already at least partially understand your hair and its various intricacies.
Prose's hair quiz is more in-depth, resulting in 135 data points, and inquires about everything from what products you usually style your hair with to your diet and stress levels. It also asks about hair goals (though there are only four choices) but seems to focus more on your current hair characteristics to create whatever solution is most appropriate for your hair.
Products and pricing
Each of these products is formulated according to your quiz results.
Overall, Function of Beauty is more affordable than Prose, and it has more size options available for the shampoo and conditioner.
However, Prose does offer more types of hair products. If you have specific needs such as scalp or curl treatments, you'll like Prose better.
The look and smell of the products
After inputting the name or nickname to print on your Function of Beauty bottles, you can choose from at least six different colors (limited-edition colors are sometimes available), or go dye-free. Since the bottles are clear, these glittery colors will be displayed front and center in your shower. It offers five main fragrances, with adjustable fragrance strengths, or you can go fragrance-free. The scent with the best reviews is the peach-citrus blend.
You cannot customize the name or color of your Prose products. It makes eight fragrances in total, but recommends its signature fragrance plus two others depending on your quiz results. Some standouts include the floral, powdery Signature scent and herbal, sweet Botanica scent. Like Function of Beauty, you can forego the fragrance.
Ingredients
Both Function of Beauty and Prose emphasize the use of carefully sourced and tested natural ingredients. Function of Beauty defers to the EU's regulations on safe cosmetics, which bans 1,400 ingredients. Meanwhile, Prose includes the EWG scores for its entire ingredients list. The majority have a score of 1, meaning they've been vetted for high safety.
Subscription perks
Since shampoo and conditioner are hair products you'll always need, it's smart to consider a subscription to either service. You'll get a discount, free shipping, and other perks. But if you're not sure yet whether you want to commit, the products are also available for one-time purchases.
Refunds and reformulations
Function of Beauty can give a free one-time reformulation if you're not happy with your first order. Just reach out to hello@functionofbeauty.com within 30 days of receipt of your first order. However, it does not offer refunds or returns beyond your first order.
If you're not happy with your Prose products, reach out to hello@prosehair.com within 60 days of the ship date to get a free reformulation or a full refund.
The bottom line
Ultimately, Function of Beauty and Prose both offer excellent customized hair-care solutions, but one will be better than the other based on your budget, preferences for customization, and hair needs.
Function of Beauty's hair quiz isn't as in-depth, but the customizable features (name, color, fragrance) make it feel more personal. There are multiple sizes and combinations to choose from, so you can find the perfect set for your needs. Its products are cheaper than Prose's and are a great gift option.
What Prose lacks in camera-ready packaging it makes up for in its use of detailed data to create your unique formulation. Its products are more expensive, though it does have more product types, and you aren't constrained to pre-made bundles. If you're willing to spend a little more, try Prose.
Thankfully, with whichever one you choose, you can enjoy high-quality ingredients, great customer service, and the convenience of customized hair-care delivered right to your door.