Non-Yellowing Shampoo: What Anti-Yellow Shampoo Really Does

A non-yellowing shampoo, also sold as anti-yellow or no-yellow shampoo, is a cleansing shampoo that carries a violet dye to cancel the yellow in blonde, bleached, highlighted and grey hair. Fanola's version, No Yellow, uses the dye Acid Violet 43: it adds colour, it cannot lighten, and it fades with washing.

What is a non-yellowing shampoo?

A non-yellowing shampoo is a shampoo with a violet dye in it. It tones while you wash, and on the colour wheel colourists use, violet is the colour that neutralises yellow, so a blonde or grey that has drifted yellow reads cooler. It does not stop yellowing for good: the dye fades, so it is regular maintenance.

Are yellow, anti-yellow and "no more yellow" shampoo all the same?

Broadly, yes: the names describe one job, countering yellow. L'Oréal Professionnel treats silver and purple shampoo as two names for the same thing. In ÖKO-TEST's 2025 lab test, all 20 silver shampoos contained the violet dye Acid Violet 43; three added a blue dye. Fanola No More is a different line: a two-product range, a shampoo and a mask, for coarse, unruly and frizzy hair.

The general mechanism is in how purple shampoo works; this article is about the Fanola bottle.

What is Fanola No Yellow shampoo, and who makes it?

Fanola No Yellow is a violet toning shampoo for blonde, bleached, highlighted and grey hair from the Italian brand Fanola. Its website names Pettenon Cosmetics SpA SB, of San Martino di Lupari, as its company. It comes in 100ml, 350ml and 1000ml. The 350ml is £6.73 here.

The No Yellow mask and Thermo Protective Cream also list Acid Violet 43. The Incredible Foam and 2 Phase Potion are sold as toning but show no ingredient list on our listings. The Shield Mist's printed list names no dye, though its description mentions pigments. All sit in the No Yellow care collection.

Which violet dye is actually in the bottle?

Acid Violet 43, a synthetic anthraquinone dye (CAS 4430-18-6). Other labels print the same molecule as CI 60730, its Colour Index number, or Ext. Violet 2, from the US name for its FDA-certified grade, Ext. D&C Violet No. 2. On the ingredient list on Fanola's Italian product page it comes seventh, ahead of the fragrance; the page says the pack carries the current list. Position is only a rough guide: under UK cosmetics rules, lists run in descending weight order, but ingredients below 1% may follow in any order.

For comparison, the same dye sits 13th of 16 on Matrix's US list for So Silver Purple Shampoo, 14th of 30 on Redken UK's list for Color Extend Blondage Shampoo, and 21st of 23 on Olaplex UK's list for Nº.4P, followed there by two yellow dyes. None of these pages gives a concentration.

Why does violet cancel yellow rather than remove it?

Because nothing is taken out of the hair; dye is added. Violet sits opposite yellow on the colour wheel colourists work from. Goldwell's education manual puts it plainly: "To control yellow add violet." Wella's shade charts print the same rule: "Opposite colours neutralise one another."

The EU safety opinion on Acid Violet 43 gives its absorption maximum in visible light as 570 nm (manufacturer data). In 2025 the German consumer magazine ÖKO-TEST had a lab test 20 silver shampoos on swatches of yellowed grey hair, and 6 did not deliver their anti-yellow promise. That was a magazine test on swatches, not a peer-reviewed study on heads.

Fanola's neutralising lines follow the wheel:

Brass is not always clean yellow. Goldwell's manual pairs violet with yellow, pearl (blue-violet) with gold, and ash-blue, not violet, with orange. More in blue shampoo for orange tones.

What can't No Yellow shampoo do?

No Yellow shampoo's ingredient list has a non-oxidative dye and no peroxide or ammonia, so it can only add a little colour.

• It cannot lighten. Lightening needs an oxidation reaction driven by a peroxide developer, and the shampoo contains none. More in how purple shampoo works.
• It is not a salon toner. A demi-permanent used as a toner is mixed with a developer; this shampoo is maintenance between appointments. Fanola's No Yellow Color toner and lightener share the name but are mixed with peroxide: Fanola's No Yellow colour page gives "1:2 Perfumed Hydrogen peroxide" for its "superlighteners and toner" (neither our toner listing nor Fanola's toner page prints a ratio), and our 450g Violet Lightener listing says 1:2 with "Fanola oxygen" at 10, 20 or 30 vol.
• It does not last. The EU's safety committee assessed Acid Violet 43 as a non-oxidative (semi-permanent) hair dye, and semi-permanent colour is designed to fade with shampooing.

Who is No Yellow shampoo actually for?

Hair already the right tone that is drifting warm. Fanola aims it at blonde, bleached, highlighted and grey hair. On the 1–10 depth scale, a cosmetology course charts lightened level 9 as yellow underneath and level 10 as pale yellow: the warmth violet is paired with.

Common questions about No Yellow shampoo

Does No Yellow shampoo dry your hair?

It is a genuine cleanser: as above, Fanola's list puts "Sodium Laureth Sulfate" (SLES) second, with three co-surfactants and no SLS. Our 350ml listing suggests "a hydrating conditioner or Fanola's No Yellow Mask" afterwards. More in the Fanola No Yellow Mask.

Is there a No Yellow conditioner?

Not as a separate rinse-out conditioner on this site. Our listing says the No Yellow Mask "also nourishes and conditions hair", and the 2 Phase Potion is sold as "Dual-action Toning and Conditioning".

Is Wonder No Yellow different?

Fanola says Wonder "delivers the same neutralization performance as the classic No Yellow Shampoo", without publishing a toning test. In 120 in-salon self-assessments, users rated Wonder easier to rinse (+11%), softer (+8%) and easier to comb (+10%). See No Yellow vs Wonder No Yellow.

Is the dye in purple shampoo allowed in cosmetics?

Yes. UK-retained cosmetics law allows Acid Violet 43 as a dye in non-oxidative hair dye products at up to 0.5% ready to use (Annex III), and separately lists it as colourant CI 60730 (Annex IV). The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety found that hair-dye use at up to 0.5% poses no risk to consumers, but could not exclude a sensitising potential. Follow the pack and patch-test where told to.

Is there a Fanola shampoo for orange tones?

Yes. Fanola describes Wonder No Orange as a shampoo with blue pigment, "ideal" for light brown hair, coloured or natural; its Italian ingredient list pairs the same Acid Violet 43 with a blue dye, CI 42090. On this site every No Orange shampoo and mask is a Wonder product, in the Wonder No Orange range. See No Orange vs Wonder No Orange.

What happens if you use it on brown hair?

Wella says a violet shampoo will help brown hair if the brassiness has a yellowish tinge rather than orange or red, which is most likely on lighter browns, not dark brunettes. For orange, Goldwell pairs ash-blue, not violet.

Always follow the instructions supplied with the product. Patch-test where the manufacturer requires it, and if you are unsure about a colour service, speak to a professional colourist.