Skip to main content

Side by side

CHI BioSilk Color Therapy Shampoo vs CHI Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo

76% function match · 9 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 68%. CHI BioSilk Color Therapy 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 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 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 Differs
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. 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 Differs
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. 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
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • 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
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • 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 · Grocery / mass
—
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
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 ShampooIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
Cleanses
#2Leading
#2Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#3Leading
Acrylates Copolymer
Holds
#6Supporting
#4Supporting
Caprylyl Glycol
Moisturizes
#7Below the 1% line
#14Below the 1% line
Hydrolyzed Silk
Protein
#10Below 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
#27Below the 1% line
#6Supporting

What only one of them carries

BioSilk Color Therapy Shampoo

Ionic Color Illuminate Shampoo

Full ingredient list — BioSilk Color Therapy 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 ShampooIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo
Supported
1
0
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
5
0
Potential conflict
0
0

BioSilk Color Therapy Shampoo

  • Contains VibraRiche for maximum color retentionStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Imbues hair with three-dimensional shineStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Strengthens hair from the inside outPartly supportedSupports the surface, not a treatment.
  • Sulfate-free shampooSupportedGentler on colour and coils.
  • Cleanses with gentle surfactantsStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Rids hair of impurities without stripping hair colorStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Great for all hair types and all hair colorsStated by brandSee the fit panel instead.

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 Shampoo

Hair is repeatedly described as soft, silky and smooth after washing, across very different hair textures, and a small amount goes a long way.

general reviewers, both the 12 oz and 34 oz sizes

Reviewers with colour-treated hair say it keeps their colour bright and stops it turning brassy while cleansing gently, without the stripped feeling they get from other shampoos.

colour-treated and highlighted hair, several with dry hair

A recurring disappointment is buyers expecting a purple or toning shampoo: it deposits no tone, so blondes hoping for brightening say it is 'just shampoo'.

blonde reviewers who bought it expecting a toning shampoo

A minority say it left their hair dry, heavy or lusterless, and a few report increased shedding while using it; a couple of critical reviews concern damaged seals on delivery rather than the product.

the 8% one-to-three-star reviewers

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 Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.48/oz $17.29/oz $1.92/oz BioSilk Color Therapy Sham $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 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 Shampoo vs Royal Treatment Color Gloss Protecting ShampooCHI · 100% function matchIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo vs BioSilk Color Therapy Cool Blonde ShampooCHI · 98% function matchBioSilk Color Therapy Shampoo vs Royal Treatment Scalp Care Biotin ShampooCHI · 100% function matchIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo vs Royal Treatment Color Gloss Blonde Enhancing Purple ShampooCHI · 93% function matchBioSilk Color Therapy Shampoo vs Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing ShampooKristin Ess · 100% function matchIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo vs Royal Treatment Hydrating ShampooCHI · 89% function matchBioSilk Color Therapy Shampoo vs Hard Water Wellness ShampooMalibu C · 98% function matchIonic Color Illuminate Shampoo vs Nexxus Clean & Pure Nourishing Detox ShampooNexxus · 89% function match

BioSilk Color Therapy 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.
  • 7 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.

Your personalized hair plan

Tell us what’s going on with your hair, see what we understand, and get a plan built around it — with the reason behind every recommendation.

Free to start · $49.00 for your consultation and hair profile · No subscription · Nothing you must buy

Start your consultation