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Side by side

CHI BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo vs CHI Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo

98% function match · 12 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 77%. CHI BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo and CHI Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo share 4 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.

  • BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo — colour-treated hair
  • Ionic Color Illuminate 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”.

Trait
CHI BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo — 12 oz container CHI

BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
CHI Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo — 12 oz container CHI

Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$23 12 oz · $1.92/oz
$27 12 oz · $2.25/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 60% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 66% 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 Same
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. 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
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. 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
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low 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
Complete for its job
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
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • 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
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
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
Brand website
—
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Not vegan · ingredient list
—
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described

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

IngredientBioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde ShampooIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleanses
#2Leading
#2Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#3Leading
Acrylates Copolymer
Holds
#5Supporting
#4Supporting
Caprylyl Glycol
Moisturizes
#6Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line
Hydrolyzed Silk
Protein
#7Below the 1% line
#5Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#30Below the 1% line
#25Below the 1% line
Benzyl Benzoate
Fragrance
#31Below the 1% line
#26Below the 1% line
Hexyl Cinnamal
Fragrance
#32Below the 1% line
#28Below the 1% line
Panthenol
Detangles
#11Below the 1% line
#6Supporting

What only one of them carries

BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo

Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo

Full ingredient list — BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo (34)
Full ingredient list — Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo (29)

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.

VerdictsBioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde ShampooIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo
Supported
2
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
3
0
Potential conflict
0
0

BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo

  • Cancels out brassiness with violet pigmentsStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Keeps gray and white hair cool-tonedStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Sulfate-free formulaSupportedGentler on colour and coils.
  • BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo provides color protection to highlighted and lightened hair, helping to balance brassy tones.SupportedLess fade per wash.
  • This dynamic formula also neutralizes and eliminates unwanted yellow tones from grey and white hair to maintain healthier, shinier, and more vibrant color.Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo

No claims recorded for this product beyond the ones above.

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.

BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo

Blonde, frosted and grey-haired reviewers say it keeps their shade true and cuts brassiness, several using it for years, and a couple say friends notice their hair looks lightened after it.

blonde, highlighted and grey hair, long-term users

A minority saw no toning at all and say their highlights stayed yellow or that it is weaker than salon purple shampoos; a few critical reviews concern bottles arriving unsealed rather than the product.

the 14% one-to-three-star reviewers

Dryness is the recurring caveat: even reviewers who like the toning say it dries their hair out and needs a conditioner after, and one with baby-fine highlighted hair found it left a tangled mess.

fine and highlighted hair

It lathers well and the scent is called lovely and clean, though long-time BioSilk users miss the original Silk Therapy fragrance.

general reviewers, some long-time BioSilk users

Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo

No review themes researched for this product yet.

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.

$1.92/oz vs $2.25/oz — CHI Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo costs about 1.2× more per ounce than CHI BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.47/oz $17.29/oz $1.92/oz BioSilk Color Therapy Cool $2.25/oz Ionic Color Illuminate Sha

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

Value readBioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde ShampooIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo
Label
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.

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.

BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo vs Royal Treatment Color Gloss Blonde Enhancing Purple ShampooCHI · 91% function matchIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo vs Royal Treatment Color Gloss Blonde Enhancing Purple ShampooCHI · 93% function matchBioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo vs Nexxus Clean & Pure Nourishing Detox ShampooNexxus · 91% function matchIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo vs Royal Treatment Hydrating ShampooCHI · 89% function matchBioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo vs Blonde Purple ShampooSun Bum · 89% function matchIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo vs Nexxus Clean & Pure Nourishing Detox ShampooNexxus · 89% function matchBioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo vs Peppermint Tea Tree Clarifying ShampooEden BodyWorks · 87% function matchIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo vs Blonde Purple ShampooSun Bum · 87% function match

BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde Shampoo · Ionic Color Illuminate 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.
  • 6 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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