Side by side
Curlsmith Essential Moisture Shampoo vs Curlsmith Fragrance-Free Shampoo
13 of 13 functions match Formula overlap 99%. Curlsmith Essential Moisture Shampoo and Curlsmith Fragrance-Free 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.
- Essential Moisture Shampoo — colour-treated hair
- Fragrance-Free Shampoo — fragrance-free
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
- Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label
- Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
- Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
- Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
- Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
- Hard waterno chelator here to bind the minerals
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- fragrance-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
Essential Moisture Shampoo
Fragrance-Free Shampoo
Nothing notable here that the others do not also carry.
Full ingredient list — Essential Moisture Shampoo (28)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
4
Lauryl Glucoside
- nonionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
5
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate
- thickener
- emulsifier
-
6
Betaine
- humectant
-
7
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
8
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
- humectant
- botanical extract
- gum
-
9
Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract
- botanical extract
- humectant
-
10
Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
-
11
Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper) Seed Extract
- botanical extract
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
12
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
- antioxidant
-
13
Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
-
14
Carapa Guaianensis Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
15
Propanediol
- humectant
- solvent
-
16
Glycerin
- humectant
-
17
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- polymer
- gum
-
18
Polyquaternium-10
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
-
19
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
20
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
21
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
22
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
23
Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
-
24
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
25
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
26
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
27
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
28
Tetramethyl Acetyloctahydronaphthalenes
- fragrance
Full ingredient list — Fragrance-Free Shampoo (23)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
4
Lauryl Glucoside
- nonionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
5
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Trioleate
- thickener
- emulsifier
-
6
Betaine
- humectant
-
7
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
8
Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice
- humectant
- botanical extract
- gum
-
9
Selaginella Lepidophylla Extract
- botanical extract
- humectant
-
10
Ocimum Basilicum (Basil) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
-
11
Piper Nigrum (Black Pepper) Seed Extract
- botanical extract
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
12
Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
- antioxidant
-
13
Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
-
14
Carapa Guaianensis (Andiroba) Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
15
Propanediol
- humectant
- solvent
-
16
Glycerin
- humectant
-
17
Guar Hydroxypropyltrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- polymer
- gum
-
18
Polyquaternium-10
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
-
19
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
20
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
21
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
22
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
23
Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
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.
Essential Moisture Shampoo
Gentle moisturizing shampoo that gently cleanses hair, designed for all curl types, even straight hair.
SupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
Fragrance-Free Shampoo
A fragrance-free soothing shampoo, dermatologically tested, that gently cleanses without leaving hair dry
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.0% fragrance, 100% curl care
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
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 and how it cleanses.
Essential Moisture Shampoo
Cleanses effectively without stripping natural oils or moisture
reviewers washing infrequently or with dry hairCommonly used with the matching Essential Moisture Conditioner as a paired routine
general reviewer baseDescribed as gentle and non-drying on fine or aging/gray hair
reviewers with fine or gray hairRestored shine and softness after switching from co-washing alone
reviewers with curly/wavy hairSometimes needs a second application to feel fully clean if hair is washed infrequently
reviewers with infrequent wash routinesFragrance-Free Shampoo
Several reviewers note it leaves hair feeling clean, soft, and balanced with defined, shinier curls after use
curly-hair usersWidely reported to cleanse gently without leaving residue or drying out hair, described by the site's aggregated review summary (84 reviews, 4.65/5 average) as its most common praise point
general curly/wavy hair usersReviewers with fragrance sensitivities, allergies, or migraines specifically seek this product out and report it works well as their only usable option, though several wish for matching fragrance-free conditioner/styler options
reviewers with allergies/migraines/topical sensitivities, some with curly-haired childrenA minority of reviewers find the shampoo merely adequate/unremarkable rather than a standout, with one wishing for more fragrance-free options across the line since gel choices are limited
general usersPrice 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.
$2.17/oz vs $2.17/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.
Essential Moisture Shampoo · Fragrance-Free 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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