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Side by side

Curlsmith Fragrance-Free Conditioner vs Curlsmith Shine Conditioner

10 of 10 functions match Formula overlap 68%. Curlsmith Fragrance-Free Conditioner and Curlsmith Shine Conditioner 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.

  • Fragrance-Free Conditioner — fragrance-free
  • Shine Conditioner — 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”.

Trait
Curlsmith Fragrance-Free Conditioner — 12 oz container Curlsmith

Fragrance-Free Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Curlsmith Shine Conditioner — brand photograph Curlsmith

Shine Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$6.25 12 oz · $0.52/oz
$6.25 2 oz · $3.13/oz

Compared at different sizes — 12 oz against 2 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most conditioners $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 89% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 75% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Curly–Coily A heavy formula: coarse, curlier strands carry it without flattening. Your hair
Moisture level Same
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
High Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula. Your hair
High Butters near the top: a heavy, softening formula. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Weight on hair Same
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your hair
Rich Heavy butters and waxes in the first eight ingredients. Your hair
Fragrance
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
Protein Same
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
High Your hair
High 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
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
Why you might skip it
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
  • Oily scalp or fine hairthat gets weighed down
  • Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
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
Conditioner
Conditioner
Line
Fragrance-Free
—
Where to buy
Brand website
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · brand states
Vegan · brand states

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

IngredientFragrance-Free ConditionerShine Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#3Leading
Hydroxypropyl Starch Phosphate
Holds
#3Leading
#11Secondary
Cetyl Palmitate
Buildup
#5Supporting
#7Supporting
Behentrimonium Chloride
Detangles
#6Supporting
#2Leading
Panthenol
Detangles
#7Supporting
#6Supporting
Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter
Heavy
#8Supporting
#4Supporting
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#19Below the 1% line
#5Supporting

What only one of them carries

Fragrance-Free Conditioner

Shine Conditioner

Full ingredient list — Fragrance-Free Conditioner (29)
Full ingredient list — Shine Conditioner (22)

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.

VerdictsFragrance-Free ConditionerShine Conditioner
Supported
0
1
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Fragrance-Free Conditioner

  • A fragrance-free conditioner that will leave your curls soft and silky. Dermatologically tested.Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

Shine Conditioner

  • Lightweight fragrance-free rinse-out conditioner that boosts vibrancy and shine and makes hair smooth and silkySupportedSafer for scent-sensitive scalps.

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 how gentle it is. Curlsmith Fragrance-Free Conditioner draws complaints about tangling and dryness.

Fragrance-Free Conditioner

Several reviewers specifically credit it with calming an itchy or seborrheic-dermatitis-prone scalp.

reviewers self-reporting scalp conditions

Reviewers with fragrance/scent sensitivities and sensitive or allergy-prone scalps report this is one of the few conditioners they can use without irritation.

fragrance-sensitive/sensitive-scalp users

Multiple reviewers describe the conditioner as lightweight and non-weighing, working well on fine or thin curly/wavy hair.

fine/thin curly and wavy hair

Some reviewers found the conditioner did not moisturize or detangle enough for very dry or coarse hair.

dry/coarse-hair reviewers

A minority of reviewers say the product still carries a noticeable scent from its botanical extracts and dispute the fragrance-free labeling.

fragrance-sensitive users expecting a fully scent-free product

Shine Conditioner

Reviewers with sensitive/tender scalp report it feels gentle and soothing rather than irritating

sensitive scalp

Fine and wavy-haired reviewers report it does not weigh hair down while still adding shine

fine/wavy hair (2c-ish)

Reviewers repeatedly value that it is fragrance-free, calling it hard to find in a rinse-out conditioner

general / sensitive-scalp reviewers

Reviewers describe good slip and easy detangling with no leftover buildup after rinsing

curly/wavy hair

Multiple reviewers explicitly mourn a full-size version of this conditioner being discontinued, implying the current SKU is a scaled-down survivor of a larger line

longtime repeat buyers

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.

$0.52/oz vs $3.13/oz — Curlsmith Shine Conditioner costs about 6× more per ounce than Curlsmith Fragrance-Free Conditioner.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $0.52/oz Fragrance-Free Conditioner $3.13/oz Shine Conditioner

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 689 conditioners with a computable unit price.

Value readFragrance-Free ConditionerShine Conditioner
Label
Lower cost than most conditionersCosts less per ounce than most conditioners we have researched.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

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.

Fragrance-Free Conditioner vs Essential Moisture ConditionerCurlsmith · 100% function matchShine Conditioner vs Essential Moisture ConditionerCurlsmith · 100% function matchFragrance-Free Conditioner vs Kids ConditionerMixed Chicks · 92% function matchShine Conditioner vs Kids ConditionerMixed Chicks · 92% function matchFragrance-Free Conditioner vs Aveda Smooth Infusion Anti-Frizz ConditionerAveda · 90% function matchShine Conditioner vs Conditioner, CalmHonest · 90% function matchFragrance-Free Conditioner vs Conditioner, CalmHonest · 90% function matchShine Conditioner vs Conditioner, SensitiveHonest · 90% function match

Fragrance-Free Conditioner · Shine Conditioner · All conditioners 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.
  • 11 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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