L’Oreal-owned Garnier has made a name for itself in the United States with its line of permanent hair colors, Nutrisse and Lumia. In Europe, where Garnier generates three-quarters of its sales, the Fructis hair-care line has been available for some time. L’Oreal blitzed the U.S. market with ads for Garnier a few years ago, and its prominence has made it almost as much a household name as L’Oreal, Maybelline, and Lancome.

Fructis claims to make hair five times stronger and five times smoother with its combination of fruit acids, vitamins, and sugar derivatives. Of course, the test results to prove these claims are not available to the public, so we’re left to believe Garnier’s statements hold true to what they discovered in side-by-side brushing/combing tests with another (unnamed) shampoo and conditioner duo. The reality is that a dusting of vitamins and fruit extracts (which really just add fragrance) cannot make the hair stronger. Hair can be “fortified” with conditioners to make it less susceptible to breakage and the rigors of heat-styling damage, but it won’t be any stronger than with any other conditioner. The company's claims to the contrary are completely without merit, though there are plenty of good, inexpensive products available from this line. Not surprisingly, many products are similar to what L'Oreal offers, only with Garnier's fruity fragrance and tiny amouns of fruit "micro-oils". For more information about Garnier, call (800) 4-Garnier or visit www.garnierfructis.com.