Side by side
Cantu Cantu Avocado Hydrating Sulfate Free Shampoo vs Matrix Mega Sleek Anti-Frizz Smoothing Shampoo
96% function match · 12 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 68%. Cantu Cantu Avocado Hydrating Sulfate Free Shampoo and Matrix Mega Sleek Anti-Frizz Smoothing Shampoo share 4 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.
- Cantu Avocado Hydrating Sulfate Free Shampoo — colour-treated hair
- Mega Sleek Anti-Frizz Smoothing Shampoo — 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”.
- Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
- Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
- Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
- Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
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.
$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
What only one of them carries
Cantu Avocado Hydrating Sulfate Free Shampoo
Mega Sleek Anti-Frizz Smoothing Shampoo
Full ingredient list — Cantu Avocado Hydrating Sulfate Free Shampoo (29)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
- olefin sulfonate cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
4
Cocamide Dipa
- secondary cleanser
- thickener
-
5
Glycerin
- humectant
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
6
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
7
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
8
Acrylates Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
9
PEG-150 Distearate
- thickener
- emulsifier
-
10
Polyester-37
- film former
- polymer
-
11
Glycol Distearate
- opacifier
- emollient
-
12
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
13
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
14
Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
-
15
Ethylhexylglycerin
- preservative
- emollient
-
16
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- polymer
- gum
-
17
Benzyl Salicylate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
18
Disodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
19
Panthenol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
20
Polyquaternium-39
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
-
21
Steareth-4
- emulsifier
-
22
Geraniol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
23
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
24
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
25
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
- butter
- emollient
- sealant
-
26
Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
27
Polysorbate 20
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
28
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
29
Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- vitamin
Full ingredient list — Mega Sleek Anti-Frizz Smoothing Shampoo (32)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
- olefin sulfonate cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamide MEA
- secondary cleanser
- nonionic cleanser
- thickener
-
4
Glycerin
- humectant
-
5
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
6
Glycol Distearate
- opacifier
- emollient
-
7
Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
8
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
9
Hexylene Glycol
- solvent
- humectant
-
10
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
11
Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
-
12
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
13
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
14
PEG-55 Propylene Glycol Oleate
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
15
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
16
Coco-Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
17
Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- polymer
- gum
-
18
Carbomer
- thickener
- polymer
- film former
-
19
Salicylic Acid
- active
- exfoliant
-
20
Benzoic Acid
- preservative
-
21
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
- fragrance
-
22
Oleic Acid
- emollient
- emulsifier
-
23
Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil/Jojoba Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
24
Polyquaternium-7
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
-
25
Vanillin
- fragrance
-
26
Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
-
27
Coumarin
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
28
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
29
Carvone
- fragrance
-
30
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
31
Ci 19140/Yellow 5
- colourant
-
32
CI 17200
- colourant
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.
Cantu Avocado Hydrating Sulfate Free Shampoo
Sulfate-free
SupportedGentler on colour and coils.Deeply moisturizes dry, brittle hair from root to tip
SupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.Gentle enough for daily use
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.Specially formulated for curly, coily, and wavy hair textures
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
Mega Sleek Anti-Frizz Smoothing Shampoo
96 hours of frizz control
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.12x more smoothness
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.Protects hair against humidity
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.Reduces frizz in coarse, unruly hair
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
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 moisture. Matrix Mega Sleek Anti-Frizz Smoothing Shampoo draws complaints about tangling and weight.
Cantu Avocado Hydrating Sulfate Free Shampoo
Sulfate-free formula still leaves hair feeling moisturized after washing, with a pleasant fragrance
type-4 natural hair reviewerSome residue/buildup left in hair after a single wash, prompting a second shampoo pass
type-4 natural hair reviewerThe Avocado line is felt to be missing a true deep-conditioning treatment product, a gap versus competing textured-hair lines
type-4 natural hair reviewerMega Sleek Anti-Frizz Smoothing Shampoo
Curly-haired reviewers report it cleanses without stripping needed oils, calling it a good buildup remover that preserves moisture balance
reviewers with curly hairA reviewer with thick, frizzy, wavy hair who liked a different Matrix line (Food For Soft) found this one increased frizz rather than reducing it
reviewer with thick/frizzy/wavy hairSome reviewers say the new formula leaves hair feeling dried out, tangled, greasy, or sticky compared to the prior version
reviewers comparing old vs new formulaLong-time users report a recent reformulation (shea butter replaced by oleic acid/jojoba oil) that changed the scent to something strong/perfumey and, for some, nauseating
multi-year repeat buyers of the prior formulaReviewers who like the results describe it as a good product but note it is pricey for the format
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.
$0.85/oz vs $0.88/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.
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.
Cantu Avocado Hydrating Sulfate Free Shampoo · Mega Sleek Anti-Frizz Smoothing 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.
- 10 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.
Still unsure? Take your consultation or browse more products.
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