Side by side
American Crew Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo vs Wella Professionals Ultimate Smooth Shampoo
13 of 13 functions match Formula overlap 41%. American Crew Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo and Wella Professionals Ultimate Smooth Shampoo share 3 ingredients among each other's most prominent.
Which of these fits your hair?
We check your pattern, moisture need, scalp, fragrance tolerance, weight sensitivity and more against each formula — and say which one lines up.
Your profile at a glance
- Your answers appear here
- Your answers appear here
- Your answers appear here
- Your answers appear here
When each one is the right call
What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.
- Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo — protein-sensitive hair
- Ultimate Smooth Shampoo — protein-sensitive hair
Side by side
Every trait, aligned
One row per trait, read from each product’s own ingredient list and record. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a “no”.
Compared at different sizes — 33.8 oz against 8.4 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
- Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
- Fine hairthat flattens under most products
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
- Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
- Fine hairthat flattens under most products
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
- Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
- Scents bother youthis product carries a strong scent
- Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
- Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
More facts about each one
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
Facts as we recorded them. A dash means we have not researched that field for that product — it is not a "no".
The bottom line
The bottom line depends on your hair
Which of these two suits you is a question about your hair, not about them. The consultation answers it — and tells you what your routine needs around it.
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The detail behind the table
Where the readings above come from: the ingredient lists themselves, each brand’s claims checked against them, what owners report, and cost per ounce in context.
Shared and distinct ingredients
Shared and distinct ingredients
Computed from the ingredient lists as printed. "Shared" means both lists carry it; where it sits on each label is stated, because position is what tells you how much.
What both formulas carry
What only one of them carries
Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo
Ultimate Smooth Shampoo
Full ingredient list — Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo (24)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate
- sulfate cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
4
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
5
Capryloyl Glycine
- preservative
- cleanser
-
6
Caprylyl Glycol
- preservative
- humectant
-
7
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
8
Disodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
9
Hexylene Glycol
- solvent
- humectant
-
10
Panthenol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
11
Polyquaternium-10
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
- 12 Quaternium-22
-
13
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
14
Xylitylglucoside
- humectant
-
15
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
16
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
17
Citral
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
18
Citrus Aurantium Peel Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
19
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
20
Hexamethylindanopyran
- fragrance
-
21
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
22
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
23
Linalyl Acetate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
24
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
- fragrance
Full ingredient list — Ultimate Smooth Shampoo (26)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- sulfate cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
4
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
5
Sodium Xylenesulfonate
- solubilizer
-
6
Panthenol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
7
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
8
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
9
Polyquaternium-10
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
-
10
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
11
Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
- hard-water chelator
-
12
Glyceryl Oleate
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
13
Glycerin
- humectant
-
14
Malic Acid
- pH adjuster
- exfoliant
-
15
Aminomethyl Propanol
- pH adjuster
-
16
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
17
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
18
Histidine
- amino acid
-
19
Oleic Acid
- emollient
- emulsifier
-
20
Squalane
- emollient
- conditioning agent
-
21
Lecithin
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
22
Ascorbyl Palmitate
- antioxidant
-
23
Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- vitamin
- 24 Hydrogenated Palm Glycerides Citrate
-
25
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
26
Sodium Citrate
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
Claims check
What each brand says, against what each formula shows
Claims are quoted from each brand. We only mark one supported, partly supported, or conflicting when that product’s ingredient list actually speaks to it.
Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo
Gently cleanses while balancing the scalp's microbiome
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.Creates appearance of fuller hair for fine or thinning hair types
Stated by brandNot something a label can show.
Ultimate Smooth Shampoo
Achieve silky smooth hair in no time at all with Ultimate Smooth Shampoo by Wella Professionals.
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.Up to 85% smoother hair and 96 hours of frizz control when used as part of the Ultimate Smooth regimen.
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
What owners say
What people report
Recurring themes our researchers wrote in their own words from sourced reviews. We do not store or scrape star ratings, and we never balance one product’s themes against another’s by inventing them.
Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo
Many reviewers, several noting the product was gifted by the brand, say it added noticeable volume to fine or thin hair.
Reviewers frequently describe the lather as rich and pleasant during use.
Several reviewers praise the scent as fresh and citrus-forward.
Multiple reviewers say hair felt soft and more manageable for styling afterward.
Ultimate Smooth Shampoo
Several reviewers highlight a pleasant, long-lasting floral scent as a standout feature
general usersMultiple reviewers say it reduces frizz and flyaways without weighing hair down or feeling heavy
frizzy/curly-hair usersReviewers commonly describe hair feeling noticeably softer and smoother immediately after the first wash
general users, including some with thick or curly hairReviewers note it cleanses thoroughly (some say squeaky-clean) while still feeling gentle and non-stripping
general usersA reviewer who normally needs a clarifying shampoo found this moisturizing formula an unexpected fit, suggesting it works better for non-oily/normal scalp types than very oily ones
reviewer with oil-prone scalp/hair historyPrice check
Cost per ounce, in context
Cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in. Value labels are computed from that percentile and from how many products that do the same job cost less; they are comparisons, not judgements about a brand.
$1.60/oz vs $2.07/oz — Wella Professionals Ultimate Smooth Shampoo costs about 1.3× more per ounce than American Crew Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo.
Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.
Computed from cost per ounce against every product of this type we have priced, and from how many products that do the same job cost less. It is a comparison, not a judgement about the brand.
Compare with something else
Close formulas to each of these, as their own comparison pages.
Boost Pre-Styling Shampoo · Ultimate Smooth Shampoo · All shampoos in the library
How this page was made
- This page is assembled from the same researched records the individual product pages render: identity, each ingredient list as printed, each brand's own claims, dated price observations, and review themes written in our researchers' own words. Nothing on it is written per comparison.
- We do not rank these against each other. Which of them suits you depends on your hair, and that is what the consultation works out.
- The formula similarity percentage is a stored, precomputed number: position-weighted overlap of the two ingredient lists blended with agreement on the attributes we derive. It measures how alike two formulas are, not how well either works.
- The value band is a fixed label over two stored numbers: this product’s cost per ounce as a percentile of every product of this type we have priced, each at the size it is most often sold in, and how many products we score as doing the same job cost at least a quarter less per ounce.
- The "Is this right for you?" panel reads only your own consultation answers, and it applies exactly the filters our recommendation engine applies. It is computed when you load the page and is never stored on it.
- 11 sources were consulted across the products on this page.
- Ingredient order tells you relative amount only above roughly 1%. Prices are observations on the dates shown and change without notice. We do not sell these products and take no placement fees.
- This is cosmetic information, not medical advice, and nothing here diagnoses or treats a health condition.
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