Side by side
Curlsmith Core Strength Shampoo vs Rusk Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe Smoothing Shampoo
93% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Curlsmith Core Strength Shampoo and Rusk Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe Smoothing Shampoo share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.
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
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When each one is the right call
What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.
- Core Strength Shampoo — colour-treated hair
- Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe 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”.
Rusk
Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe Smoothing Shampoo
- Shampoo
- Salon
- Sulfate-free
- Silicone-free
Compared at different sizes — 35 oz against 12 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.
- Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- Fine hairthat flattens under most products
- Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
- Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
- Fine hairthat flattens under most products
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Hard waterno chelator here to bind the minerals
- Scents bother youthis product carries a strong scent
- Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
- Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- curly-method compatible
- sulfate-free
- silicone-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
Core Strength Shampoo
Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe Smoothing Shampoo
- Aminomethyl Propanol
- Lauramide DEA
- Ammonium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
- Cetyl Betaine
- Panthenol
- Cocamide DEA
- Passionflower Extract
- Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
- Hexyl Cinnamal
Full ingredient list — Core Strength Shampoo (32)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
4
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate
- thickener
- emulsifier
-
5
Decyl Glucoside
- nonionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
6
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
7
Opuntia Tuna Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
-
8
Cucurbita Pepo (Pumpkin) Seed Extract
- botanical extract
-
9
Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
-
10
Ribes Nigrum (Black Currant) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
-
11
Brassica Oleracea Acephala Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
-
12
Lentinus Edodes (Shiitake Mushroom) Extract
- botanical extract
-
13
Hydrolyzed Hemp Seed Extract
- botanical extract
-
14
Hydrolyzed Rice Protein
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
-
15
Hydroxypropylgluconamide
- humectant
- conditioning agent
-
16
Hydroxypropylammonium Gluconate
- humectant
- conditioning agent
-
17
Glycerin
- humectant
-
18
Propanediol
- humectant
- solvent
-
19
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- polymer
- gum
-
20
Polyquaternium-10
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
21
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
22
Tartaric Acid
- pH adjuster
- exfoliant
-
23
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
24
Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
-
25
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
26
Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
-
27
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
28
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
29
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
30
Geraniol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
31
Dimethyl Phenethyl Acetate
- fragrance
-
32
Citrus Aurantium (Orange) Peel Oil
- fragrance
- botanical extract
Full ingredient list — Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe Smoothing Shampoo (29)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Aminomethyl Propanol
- pH adjuster
-
3
Lauramide DEA
- secondary cleanser
- nonionic cleanser
- thickener
-
4
Ammonium Lauryl Sulfosuccinate
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
5
Cetyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
6
Panthenol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
7
Cocamide DEA
- secondary cleanser
- nonionic cleanser
- thickener
-
8
Passionflower Extract
- botanical extract
-
9
Aloe Extract
- botanical extract
-
10
Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
-
11
Hydroxypropyltrimonium Honey
- conditioning agent
- humectant
-
12
Polyquaternium-7
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
-
13
Honey
- humectant
- botanical extract
- 14 Hydrolyzed Starch Hydrolysate
-
15
Hydroxypropyl Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- polymer
- gum
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
16
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
17
Benzophenone-4
- UV filter
-
18
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
19
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
20
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
21
Tetrasodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
22
Diazolidinyl Urea
- formaldehyde releaser
- preservative
-
23
Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate
- preservative
-
24
D&C Orange 4
- colourant
-
25
Fd&C Yellow 6 Aluminum Lake
- colourant
-
26
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
27
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
28
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
- 29 Butyl Methylpropional
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.
Core Strength Shampoo
A protein-enriched gentle cleanser that melts away dirt and build-up while helping hair feel stronger and more resilient.
Partly supportedSupports the surface, not a treatment.
Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe Smoothing Shampoo
Calms defiant, unruly hair while preserving moisture
SupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.Gently removes unwanted mineral salts and styling product buildup
Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
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 hold.
Core Strength Shampoo
Pleasant guava-like scent frequently called out
general reviewer baseRestores a strengthened, refreshed feeling to hair after heat or chemical damage
reviewers with heat/chemical damageGentle without over-drying already-weakened hair
international reviewers, damaged hairUsed successfully for gentle daily cleansing on children's and teens' hair
parents of younger curly-haired usersCited as a go-to for helping curls hold definition longer between washes
general reviewer baseSensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe Smoothing Shampoo
Perceived as economical/concentrated - a pump-dispensed bottle reported to last several months of regular washing
frequent-wash userReviewers report noticeably softer hair after use, consistent with the product's smoothing claim
general reviewers, some self-describing wavy/frizz-prone hairSeveral reviewers are long-term repeat buyers (years of use, active subscription), indicating strong loyalty for this SKU
multi-year repeat customersLong-lasting, well-liked fragrance is repeatedly called out as a standout feature
multiple reviewers across ratingsA reviewer switching from a discontinued/unavailable "Normal" variant found this formula only average for styling-gel compatibility
buyer using product as a substitute for an unavailable RUSK variantPrice 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.
$0.51/oz vs $2.17/oz — Curlsmith Core Strength Shampoo costs about 4.3× more per ounce than Rusk Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe Smoothing Shampoo.
Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 805 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.
Core Strength Shampoo · Sensories Smoother Passionflower & Aloe 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.
- 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.
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