On a Kérastase bottle, Bain means shampoo, Masque means hair mask, Fondant and Lait mean conditioner, Huile means oil, and Cure means a course of ampoules. The first word or two is the range — Nutritive, Résistance, Genesis. Everything after it describes the format and who it is for.
This is the question we are asked most often across the counter: someone has a product name written on their phone, or remembers the shape of the bottle, and has no idea whether they are looking at a shampoo, a conditioner or an oil. Here is the whole vocabulary, in plain English.
Why are Kérastase products named in French?
Kérastase is a French professional haircare brand, and it keeps the original French product names in every market it sells in rather than translating them. That gives the range a single global vocabulary — a stylist in Limassol and a stylist in Lyon are talking about the same bottle — but it means the name on the shelf tells an English or Greek speaker very little.
The structure is always the same, and once you can read it the whole Kérastase range becomes navigable: [range] + [format] + [description].
What does "Bain" mean on a Kérastase bottle?
Bain is French for "bath", and it is simply how Kérastase labels a shampoo. Anything with Bain in the name is a shampoo you lather and rinse. There is no technical difference between a Bain and a shampoo from any other brand — the word is a naming convention, not a product type.
The words that follow Bain are what matter. Nutritive Bain Satin Riche is a shampoo for very dry hair; Spécifique Bain Divalent is one for oily roots with dry ends; Blond Absolu Bain Ultra-Violet is a purple shampoo for blondes.
What is the difference between a Masque, a Fondant and a Lait?
All three go on after shampooing, and they differ by strength and contact time.
A Masque is the most concentrated of the three. It is left on for five to ten minutes, once or twice a week, and it is where the real conditioning work happens — Masquintense Riche or Masque Force Architecte, for example.
A Fondant — literally "melting" — is the everyday rinse-out conditioner, lighter and designed to be rinsed almost immediately. Fondant Renforçateur is the Genesis one.
A Lait ("milk") is the lightest of the three, aimed at fine hair that a masque would weigh down. If you have fine hair and a masque has ever left your roots flat, the Lait or the Fondant is the version you wanted.
The full Kérastase format decoder
| French word | What it is | How you use it | Example we stock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bain | Shampoo ("bath") | Lather and rinse | Genesis Bain Hydra-Fortifiant |
| Masque | Hair mask | 5–10 minutes, 1–2× a week | Masque Beurre Haute Nutrition |
| Fondant | Rinse-out conditioner ("melting") | Every wash, rinse out | Fondant Renforçateur |
| Lait | Light conditioner ("milk") | Every wash, for fine hair | Nutritive Lait Vital |
| Huile / L'Huile | Hair oil | Leave in, damp or dry ends | Elixir Ultime L'Huile Originale |
| Sérum | Concentrated leave-in | Scalp or lengths, left in | Sérum Thérapiste |
| Cure | Course of single-dose ampoules | One ampoule a day for a set period | Genesis Cure Apaisante |
| Crème | Cream — leave-in or styling | Varies; check the range | Bain Crème Anti-Pelliculaire |
| Gelée | Gel ("jelly") | Styling, on damp hair | Gelée Curl Contour |
| Cire | Wax or clay | Styling, on dry hair | Cire d'Épaisseur Texturisante |
| Soin | "Care" — a treatment, format varies | Read the bottle | Soin Acide Chroma Gloss |
| Ciment | "Cement" — a sealing leave-in | Leave in before heat | Ciment Thermique |
| Micro-Peeling | Scalp scrub | Before shampoo, massage, rinse | Micro-Peeling Cellulaire |
What do the descriptive words mean?
After the format comes the description. These are the ones worth knowing, because they are what actually tell you whether a product suits you.
| Word | Means | What it signals |
|---|---|---|
| Riche | Rich | The heavier version of the same product, for thicker or very dry hair |
| Douceur | Gentleness | A milder formula |
| Force | Strength | Strengthening, usually for weakened or breaking hair |
| Thermique | Thermal | Heat protection — use before a dryer or iron |
| Décalcifiant | Decalcifying | Targets limescale from hard tap water |
| Apaisant(e) | Soothing | For a sensitive or uncomfortable scalp |
| Anti-Pelliculaire | Anti-dandruff | Flakes and build-up |
| Anti-Chute | Anti-hair-fall | Thinning or shedding |
| Quotidien | Daily | Mild enough for frequent use |
| Vert | Green | A green pigment, for cancelling red tones in brunettes |
| Ultra-Violet | Ultraviolet | Purple pigment, for cancelling yellow in blondes |
| Réhydratant | Rehydrating | Water content rather than oil |
| Lumière / Éclat | Light / radiance | Shine rather than repair |
| Densité | Density | Hair that feels thinner than it used to |
How do you read a full Kérastase name?
Put the three parts together and the name becomes a description.
Kérastase Nutritive Bain Satin Riche reads as: Nutritive range (nourishment) + Bain (shampoo) + Satin Riche (the richer of the two Satin shampoos). So: a rich nourishing shampoo for very dry hair. The store's own notes on it are blunt about the trade-off — it is not sulfate-free, it will not repair damage on its own, and it can feel heavy on fine hair.
Kérastase Blond Absolu Bain Ultra-Violet reads as: Blond Absolu range (blonde hair) + Bain (shampoo) + Ultra-Violet (purple pigment). A purple shampoo. If you want the mechanism behind why purple works on brassiness, we cover it in our guide to brassy blonde hair.
Kérastase Genesis Cure Apaisante reads as: Genesis range (weakened hair) + Cure (ampoule course) + Apaisante (soothing). Ten ampoules for a sensitive scalp, used over ten days.
Which word matters most if you live in Cyprus?
Décalcifiant. It means "decalcifying", and it is the one word on a Kérastase shelf that speaks directly to a Cypriot bathroom.
Published figures put Cypriot tap water at roughly 250–400 ppm calcium carbonate across most districts — a product of limestone geology and the remineralising of desalinated supply. That is very hard water on any scale. Calcium ions bind to the surface of the hair fibre and to the surfactants in your shampoo, which means the cuticle never quite lies flat and lather is harder to raise. Hair feels rougher and duller than the products you are using should allow.
Kérastase's Première range is built around that single problem, and the word Décalcifiant is how it says so. Nothing else in the name tells you. If your hair feels coated no matter what you use, that is the word to look for.
What the French name will not tell you
The vocabulary is useful, but it has real limits, and it is worth being clear about them.
It does not tell you whether a product is sulfate-free. Nothing in "Bain Satin Riche" hints that it cleanses with sodium laureth sulfate and sodium lauryl sulfate — but it does. You have to read the ingredients.
"Riche" does not mean better. It means heavier. On fine hair the Riche version of a product is usually the wrong choice, and the lighter sibling is the one that will perform.
Not all of the words are real French. Masquintense, Fluidéaliste, Extentioniste, Fluidissime, Maskératine and Densimorphose are invented brand words built from French roots. They identify a range rather than translating to anything. The Cica- prefix across the Blond Absolu repair products is the same kind of coinage.
"Thérapiste" is a product name, not a medical claim. Nor is a Cure a medicine — these are cosmetic products. The store's own page for Cure Apaisante says it plainly: it does not cure scalp conditions and it does not regrow hair. If a scalp problem persists, that is a doctor's conversation, not a shampoo's.
Names get retired. Kérastase reformulates and renames regularly, so a name you remember from a salon five years ago may no longer exist. Searching the range by what you need is more reliable than searching by a half-remembered French word.
Where to start once you can read the names
Pick the range first, then the format. Nutritive for dryness, Résistance for damage and breakage, Genesis for weakened hair and shedding, Spécifique and Symbiose for scalp concerns, Blond Absolu and Chroma Absolu for coloured hair, Curl Manifesto for curls, Discipline for frizz and Genesis Homme for men.
Then take the format from the table above: Bain to wash, Fondant or Lait for every wash, Masque for once or twice a week, Huile or Sérum to leave in.
If what you are really trying to solve is damage rather than vocabulary, our comparison of Olaplex and K18 and our guide to sun, salt and chlorine damage are better starting points. And if you would rather have a brand that names things in English, our Davines line guide does the same job for a range that does exactly that.
Frequently asked questions
What does Bain mean in Kérastase?
Bain is French for "bath" and it is how Kérastase labels its shampoos. Every product with Bain in the name is a shampoo you lather and rinse.
Is a Kérastase Masque the same as a conditioner?
No. A Masque is a deeper treatment left on for five to ten minutes and used once or twice a week. A Fondant or Lait is the everyday rinse-out conditioner. The Masque is more concentrated.
What is the difference between Bain Satin and Bain Satin Riche?
Riche means "rich". It is the heavier version of the same shampoo, made for thicker or very dry hair. On fine hair the Riche version can feel heavy, and the standard version is the better match.
What does Décalcifiant mean, and does it matter in Cyprus?
Décalcifiant means "decalcifying" and marks products aimed at the calcium left behind by hard tap water. Published figures put Cypriot tap water at roughly 250–400 ppm calcium carbonate, so it is directly relevant here.
Does Cure mean it is a medicine?
No. Cure is French for a course of treatment, and Kérastase uses it for sets of single-dose ampoules used over a set number of days. These are cosmetic products and they do not treat medical conditions.
Are all the words on a Kérastase bottle real French?
No. Some, such as Masquintense, Fluidéaliste and Extentioniste, are invented brand words built from French roots. They tell you which range you are in rather than translating to anything.
