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Side by side

Aussie Ultra Smooth Shampoo vs Kevin Murphy STIMULATE-ME.WASH

91% function match · 10 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 59%. Aussie Ultra Smooth Shampoo and Kevin Murphy STIMULATE-ME.WASH share 2 ingredients among each other's most prominent.

Based on your consultation

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.

  • Ultra Smooth Shampoo — colour-treated hair
  • STIMULATE-ME.WASH — colour-treated 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”.

Trait
Aussie Ultra Smooth Shampoo — brand photograph Aussie

Ultra Smooth Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
Kevin Murphy STIMULATE-ME.WASH — 8.45 oz container Kevin Murphy

STIMULATE-ME.WASH

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Lightweight
Price, size & price per ounce
$9.97 10.1 oz · $0.99/oz
$37 8.45 oz · $4.38/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 68% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 90% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Cleansing strength Same
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Weight on hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Expected lather Same
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Covers the core
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
from the formula stated by the brand reported by reviewers Scale: 1 dot low · 5 dots high, within this product type.
More facts about each one
Type
Shampoo
Shampoo
Where to buy
Grocery / mass
Brand website · Specialty beauty
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • sulfate-free
Vegan
—
Not vegan · ingredient list
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Mint & herbal · Fresh & airy

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.

Take the consultation

$49.00 once, for your consultation and hair profile. No subscription, no required purchases.

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

IngredientUltra Smooth ShampooSTIMULATE-ME.WASH
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleanses
#2Leading
#2Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#3Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#6Below the 1% line
#42Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Ultra Smooth Shampoo

STIMULATE-ME.WASH

Full ingredient list — Ultra Smooth Shampoo (21)
Full ingredient list — STIMULATE-ME.WASH (44)

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.

VerdictsUltra Smooth ShampooSTIMULATE-ME.WASH
Supported
4
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Ultra Smooth Shampoo

  • 9X hydrationStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 4 days frizz control, even in high humiditySupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • cleanses & smoothsSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • long lasting frizz controlSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • sulfate and paraben free formulaSupportedPreserved without parabens.

STIMULATE-ME.WASH

  • An invigorating daily shampoo, bursting with revitalising freshnessStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Detoxifying, stimulating, strengthening, thickeningSupportedResets a coated scalp.

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.

Both praised for the scent and how it cleanses. Aussie Ultra Smooth Shampoo draws complaints about dryness and the scent.

Ultra Smooth Shampoo

Strong, effective lather that cleanses well without feeling stripping, alongside a widely praised scent

reviewers across hair types, several comparing it favorably to salon/high-end brands

Reduces frizz and leaves hair smooth, soft, and hydrated; several reviewers describe it as comparable to pricier salon shampoos

reviewers with thick or curly hair

Rinses cleanly with no residue, and the packaging/bottle design is called out as sleek

repeat buyers

One reviewer reported a drying result ('felt like hay') and a pleasant initial scent that turned into an unpleasant 'cigarette'-like note

a single verified-purchase reviewer (also reported the same pattern on the matching conditioner)

One reviewer found frizz control inconsistent depending on styling method -- helped when hair was worn straight but not when worn curly

a reviewer alternating between straight and curly styling

STIMULATE-ME.WASH

Cooling/tingling sensation and fragrance are frequently called out as a standout feature

general reviewers commenting on scalp feel

Cleans thoroughly while leaving hair feeling soft rather than stripped

general reviewers

Perceived to improve scalp comfort and reduce itchiness, including for reviewers with psoriasis or an itchy scalp

reviewers with scalp sensitivity/itchiness

Price 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.

$0.99/oz vs $4.38/oz — Kevin Murphy STIMULATE-ME.WASH costs about 4.4× more per ounce than Aussie Ultra Smooth Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.48/oz $17.29/oz $0.99/oz Ultra Smooth Shampoo $4.38/oz STIMULATE-ME.WASH

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readUltra Smooth ShampooSTIMULATE-ME.WASH
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

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.

Ultra Smooth Shampoo vs Anti-Breakage + Keratin Oil ShampooOGX · 94% function matchSTIMULATE-ME.WASH vs Forming Pre-Styling ShampooAmerican Crew · 97% function matchUltra Smooth Shampoo vs Caviar Anti-Aging Sheer Dry ShampooAlterna · 90% function matchSTIMULATE-ME.WASH vs Anti-Breakage + Keratin Oil ShampooOGX · 96% function matchUltra Smooth Shampoo vs Big Volume Weightless Lift ShampooMarc Anthony · 89% function matchSTIMULATE-ME.WASH vs Big Volume Weightless Lift ShampooMarc Anthony · 91% function matchUltra Smooth Shampoo vs Forming Pre-Styling ShampooAmerican Crew · 89% function matchSTIMULATE-ME.WASH vs Healing Volume ShampooL'anza · 91% function match

Ultra Smooth Shampoo · STIMULATE-ME.WASH · 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.
  • 9 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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