Salvatore Tanino Therapy vs Blue Gold: which smoothing system?

ComparisonTanino TherapyBlue Gold

Salvatore Tanino Therapy (Step A + Step B) and Salvatore Blue Gold (Step 1 + Step 2) smooth with the same tannin chemistry, so you are not choosing between two formulas but between an open and a closed system. Tanino Therapy is the open system: A+B as the base, with the letter steps D, E, F, G and J and the curl steps M, N and O around it, in 100, 500 and 1000 ml. Blue Gold is the closed two-step system: anionic shampoo, realignment conditioner, flat iron, done, with a printed temperature on the bottle. Neither is 'stronger'; the difference is what you can build with it.

On this page we put the two systems side by side on what the directions of each bottle say, not on what we think of them. What taninoplastia itself is lives in our taninoplastia explained guide; here it is only about which Salvatore system fits your chair. What each lettered Tanino Therapy step does is in the Tanino Therapy steps A to O guide.

Tanino Therapy

Open system, A + B

Blue Gold

Closed, Step 1 + 2

Original or Premium

One formula

Chemistry

The same tannin

Which system is for whom?

TANINO THERAPY A+B

Pick Tanino Therapy if you build a protocol per client: smoothing plus pH control (F), moisture (D), oil (E), cuticle (G) or cortex (J), or if you also serve curly clients (M, N, O). Start with the A+B kit 2x100 ml, scale to 2x500 and 2x1000 ml.

BLUE GOLD STEP 1+2

Pick Blue Gold if you run one fixed smoothing service without extra steps, want the printed 180 to 200 °C on the bottle, or do a lot of blonde hair: the Premium pack carries 'colour protection' and the blonde tip. Start with the Blue Gold Premium kit 2x100 ml, scale to 2x1000 ml.

Our rule: a salon that sells the smoothing as a stand-alone service is done with Blue Gold; a salon that stacks treatments and varies per client buys Tanino Therapy and adds the rest of the letters.

How do the two systems compare side by side?

Every point below comes from the printed directions of the bottle in question.

Tanino Therapy A+B kit 2x1000 ml Blue Gold Premium kit 2x1000 ml Blue Gold kit 2x1000 ml

What is in the box

TANINO THERAPY

Step A Cuticle Prepper (clarifying shampoo) + Step B Capillary Styling (tannin conditioner). Singles in 100, 500 and 1000 ml; A+B kits in 2x100, 2x500 and 2x1000 ml.

BLUE GOLD

Step 1 anionic shampoo + Step 2 realignment conditioner. Kits in 2x100 and 2x1000 ml; Step 2 also as a 1000 ml single. No Step 1 single.

Preparation

TANINO THERAPY

Step A on wet hair, 2 to 3 times as needed, rinse with cold or lukewarm water.

BLUE GOLD

Step 1 on wet hair, two washes, no leave-on. Allergy test with Step 2 on forearm and nape beforehand.

State of the hair at the conditioner

TANINO THERAPY

Blow-dry until half the moisture is out, then Step B section by section, spread with a medium comb.

BLUE GOLD

Navy bottle (Original): on fully dry hair, shake well, apply with a tint brush. Grey bottle (Premium): on towel-dried hair.

Leave-on

TANINO THERAPY

At least 30 minutes.

BLUE GOLD

Grey bottle: 30 minutes. Navy bottle: no minutes printed, 'check if all product properties are absorbed'.

Flat iron

TANINO THERAPY

Slowly in thin sections, 10 to 20 passes per section as needed. No temperature printed.

BLUE GOLD

1 cm sections, minimum 10 passes, more at the root than at the ends. Printed: 180 to a maximum of 200 °C; on blonde hair stay inside that range against tonality loss.

Actives

TANINO THERAPY

Tannic acid + Stryphnodendron, Piptadenia, Tabebuia, Cinchona; hydrolysed gelatin, collagen, keratin, sericin; blue colourant CI 44045. No formaldehyde, no releaser, no glyoxylic acid.

BLUE GOLD

The same actives and the same colourant CI 44045. No formaldehyde, no releaser, no glyoxylic acid.

Extra steps in the line

TANINO THERAPY

D moisture, E oil, F pH control, G cuticle, J cortex, M/N/O curls, plus eleven protocol kits (ABG, ABDE, ABFD, MBFNO, AGJ and more).

BLUE GOLD

None. Two steps, then home care.

Home care afterwards

TANINO THERAPY

Chemical Repair duo (+ Tanino Touch leave-in).

BLUE GOLD

The same Chemical Repair duo; the bottle points to 'Everyday Use on Salvatore Line'.

What stands out in this table is what is not in it: no difference in smoothing agent, no percentage, no 'stronger'. The tannin system is the same in both bottles; Salvatore prints no figure on any pack that puts one system above the other.

Blue Gold Original or Blue Gold Premium: what is the difference?

One formula, two packs. The printed ingredient list of Original and Premium is identical, for Step 1 and for Step 2. 'Premium' is the name on the current grey export pack of the same product; the navy bottle is the earlier pack.

Front. Navy: 'Reestruturação Tanínica / Taninoplastia'. Grey: 'Colour protection' and 'Hair cuticle treatment'.
Applying Step 2. Navy: on fully dry hair. Grey: on towel-dried hair.
Leave-on. Only the grey bottle prints 30 minutes.
Tips. Only the grey bottle prints the blonde tip (180 to 200 °C) and the tip to dry and re-iron strands that did not take, without a new Step 2.
Responsible person in the EU. Only the grey Step 2 carries a European address on the label.

So our rule is short: follow the directions on the bottle in your hand and buy the pack that is in stock. Anyone expecting a 'stronger' Premium is buying a name, not a formula. The Blue Gold kit 2x1000 ml and the Blue Gold Premium kit 2x1000 ml do the same job; as singles there are Step 2 Original and Step 2 Premium in 1000 ml.

Which system for which hair and which salon?

Thick, resistant hair. Both. With Tanino Therapy you can leave Step B on longer and go up to 20 passes; with Blue Gold you keep to 1 cm sections and the printed temperature.
Fine or bleached hair. Blue Gold Premium: the blonde tip is on the bottle, and the printed 180 to 200 °C gives you a limit Step B does not print. Always an allergy test and a test strand.
Curly clients. Tanino Therapy, because only that line has the curl steps M, N and O and the Curl Transition Kit MBFNO. Blue Gold has no curl route.
Damaged or chemically treated hair. Tanino Therapy: after the iron come F (pH) and D (moisture), together in the Detox & Reconstruction Kit ABFD.
Salon with many smoothings a week. Both in 2x1000 ml; Tanino Therapy also in single litres of A and B, so you rebuy Step A more often than Step B.
First time with Salvatore, or one client a month. The 2x100 ml kits: A+B or Blue Gold Premium.

What do both systems need afterwards?

The same home care. Salvatore ties the maintenance of both smoothings to its everyday line: the Chemical Repair duo as shampoo and mask, with the Tanino Touch leave-in if wanted. Count on three to five months, depending on that aftercare; the first 30 days are in our Tanino Therapy aftercare guide.

What do you watch for when working with either system?

Run the allergy test with Step 2 on the forearm and nape before Blue Gold, as the bottle prescribes, and run it before Step B as well: the tannin actives are the same. Avoid contact with the eyes and rinse with running water if it happens. Stop at any abnormal reaction and seek medical advice. External use only; keep out of reach of children. Both systems are professional products for the salon, not a home treatment.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Tanino Therapy and Blue Gold?

Not the chemistry: both smooth with the same tannin actives (Stryphnodendron, Piptadenia, Tabebuia, Cinchona and tannic acid), without formaldehyde or glyoxylic acid. The difference is the system around them. Tanino Therapy is open: Step A and Step B plus the letter steps D, E, F, G, J and the curl steps M, N, O, in 100, 500 and 1000 ml. Blue Gold is closed: Step 1 and Step 2, done, with a printed flat-iron temperature on the bottle.

Is Blue Gold Premium stronger than Blue Gold Original?

No. The printed ingredient lists of Original and Premium are identical, for Step 1 and for Step 2. Premium is the name on the current grey export pack of the same product. What differs is the label: the claim on the front, whether Step 2 goes on dry or towel-dried hair, and the printed 30-minute leave-on on the grey bottle. Follow the bottle in your hand.

Can I combine Blue Gold with the Tanino Therapy steps?

Salvatore prints 'exclusive use of Tanino Therapy line' on Step A and Step B and gives no instruction about combining on the Blue Gold bottles. We therefore keep Blue Gold as its own two-step system and follow it with the same home care as after A+B: the Chemical Repair duo. If you want to build extra steps in the salon (pH, moisture, cortex), choose Tanino Therapy; those steps were made for it.

Which system for bleached or blonde hair?

Both conditioners carry the same blue colourant (CI 44045) that counteracts warm tones. The difference is what is printed: Blue Gold Premium carries 'colour protection' on the front and the tip to flat-iron blonde hair between 180 and 200 °C; Step B prints no temperature. For blonde hair we therefore pick Blue Gold Premium, and in every case an allergy test and a test strand first.

Which system for curly hair?

If the client wants smooth, both systems do that. If she wants defined curls with less frizz, only Tanino Therapy is the route: the curl steps M (cleansing shampoo), N (hydrolipidic mask) and O (leave-in) exist only in that line, and the Curl Transition Kit MBFNO builds the transition. Blue Gold has no curl steps.

Which home care goes with which system?

The same. Salvatore ties the maintenance of both smoothings to its everyday line; the matching set is the Chemical Repair duo (shampoo + mask), with the Tanino Touch leave-in if wanted. The Blue Gold Premium Step 2 bottle says it outright: 'For the treatment maintenance, recommended an Everyday Use on Salvatore Line.'