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Hair Product Comparison

Compare two hair products ingredient by ingredient: see what they share, what's unique to each, and a similarity score that tells you if one is a real dupe.

Compare for

Curly GirlSulfates, silicones, drying alcoholsRelaxed hairMoisture, strength, heat protectionLow porosityHeavy ingredients near the topProtein-sensitiveEvery protein flagged

How to use the Hair Product Comparison

Choose what to check for

Pick Curly Girl, Relaxed hair, Low porosity or Protein-sensitive. Both products are rated with the same rules as the Ingredient Checker.
Add the two ingredient lists

Paste the full ingredient list of the first product into Product A and the second into Product B, in label order — or pick products from our list when it is available.
Press Compare

You get a similarity score from 0 to 100 that weights ingredients near the top of the label more than those at the end.
Read the side-by-side flags

See each product’s verdict, the ingredients they share with their positions, and what is unique to each one.
Save or share the comparison

Copy the link to reopen the same comparison, or download a PDF. Open either product in the Ingredient Checker for a deeper look.

How to use the Hair Product Comparison (61 s)

How it works

This hair product comparison tool lines up two ingredient lists the way you would if you had both bottles side by side, then adds a score that respects how labels work. It uses the same ingredient database and rules as our Ingredient Checker.

1. Reading both labels

Each list is split into individual ingredients and every name is matched to our database, so “Aqua”, “Water” and “Water (Aqua)” are treated as the same thing, and so are “Shea Butter” and Butyrospermum Parkii butter. Ingredients we can’t identify are still compared by their exact name.

2. The similarity score

A plain overlap count would say two products are alike just because both contain glycerin and fragrance. Instead, every ingredient gets a weight based on its rank on the label: weight = 1 ÷ (1 + rank ÷ 5). The first ingredient counts fully, the sixth counts half, the sixteenth a quarter. Anything after the first preservative or fragrance — usually 1% of the formula or less — is multiplied by 0.25. The score is the sum of the smaller weight for each ingredient divided by the sum of the larger weight (a weighted Jaccard index). Identical lists score 100, lists with nothing in common score 0, and the same ingredients in a different order land in between. Water is left out because it tops almost every label.

3. Flags side by side

Both products are checked with the mode you choose — Curly Girl, relaxed hair, low porosity or protein-sensitive — so you can see, for example, that two conditioners are 80% alike but only one contains protein.

4. Finding cheaper alternatives

When you pick a product from our database and we have prices for similar products of the same type, the tool lists the closest matches that cost less per ounce. Until our product database is filled, compare by pasting lists.

Limits

Labels give order, not amounts, so a high score is a strong hint, not proof that two products perform the same. Brands reformulate, so compare the list on the bottle you own. The tool can’t predict allergies or irritation — patch test anything new.

How much each label position counts

Position (after water)	Weight	If below the 1% line
#1	100%	25%
#2	83%	21%
#3	71%	18%
#4	63%	16%
#5	56%	14%
#6	50%	13%
#8	42%	10%
#10	36%	9%
#12	31%	8%
#15	26%	7%
#20	21%	5%

Score	What it means
85–100 Nearly identical	Same main ingredients in almost the same order — expect a very similar feel.
65–84 Very similar	Most of the top ingredients match. A strong dupe candidate.
45–64 Similar	A shared base with real differences — check what is unique to each.
20–44 Some overlap	A few ingredients in common, but the formulas are built differently.
0–19 Different formulas	Little in common beyond the basics — these are not dupes.

Bands are our rule of thumb for reading the score, not a lab measurement of how alike two products feel.

Frequently asked questions

Are these two products the same?

Two products can share most ingredients and still feel different, because labels show the order of ingredients, not the exact amounts. A score above 85% with the same top five ingredients means the formulas are built very similarly; anything lower means real differences. Read the “only in” lists to see what sets each one apart.

How do I find a dupe for a hair product?

Paste the ingredient list of the product you love as Product A and a cheaper candidate as Product B. Look for a high similarity score, the same top five ingredients and the same verdict in the mode that matters to you (for example Curly Girl or protein-sensitive). Then compare cost per use with our price comparison tool.

Does ingredient order matter?

Yes. U.S. labels list ingredients from the largest amount to the smallest, except those at 1% or less, which can appear in any order. The first five or so ingredients usually make up most of the formula, so the comparison gives them far more weight than ingredients at the end of the list.

What does the similarity score mean?

It is a weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists from 0 to 100. Each ingredient counts according to its position — the top of the label counts most, and anything after the first preservative or fragrance counts a quarter as much. Water is ignored because nearly every product starts with it. The score compares lists, not performance.

Why is the same ingredient rated differently in the two products?

The rules depend on position. A drying alcohol near the top is flagged as “avoid” in Curly Girl mode, but the same alcohol after the 1% line is only a “caution”. In Low porosity mode, heavy butters matter most when they are in the top five.

Can I compare a shampoo with a conditioner?

You can, but the score will be low because cleansers and conditioners are built from different ingredient families. Dupe hunting works best between products of the same type — two leave-ins, two deep conditioners or two gels.

Why are some ingredients “not recognized”?

They may be misspelled, trade names or simply not in our database yet. Unrecognized ingredients are still compared by name, so two identical spellings match, but we cannot rate them. You can tell us about missing ingredients through the contact page.