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Side by side

Design Essentials Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum vs OGX ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum

99% function match · 6 of the 6 functions we compared match Formula overlap 1%. Design Essentials Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum and OGX ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum share 1 ingredient 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.

  • Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum — tight budgets
  • ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum — 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
Design Essentials

Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum

  • Scalp treatment
  • Drugstore
OGX ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum — 0.33 oz container OGX

ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum

  • Scalp treatment
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$9.99 4 oz · $2.50/oz
$10.99 0.33 oz · $34.82/oz

Compared at different sizes — 4 oz against 0.33 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Lower cost than most scalp treatments $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 87% of the 159 scalp treatments we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs more than 92% of the 159 scalp treatments we’ve priced
Best for hair types
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. Your hair
Wavy–Coily The brand’s own claims name curly or textured hair. 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
Slip / detangling Same
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
None listed No fragrance is listed. 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
Moderate Your hair
Weight on hair
—
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Protein
—
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Hard-water defence
—
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
A simple formula
out of 10
A simple formula
Who should choose this
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the lower price tiers
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Vegan and cruelty-freeour record does not support both claims here
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
Scalp treatmentserum
Scalp treatment
Where to buy
Brand website · Grocery / mass
—
Free of
—
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Citrus · Mint & herbal
—
How often
as needed
as needed

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

IngredientScalp Care Scalp Cleansing SerumProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Pentylene Glycol
Moisturizes
#8Below the 1% line
#2Leading

What only one of them carries

Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum

ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum

Full ingredient list — Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum (17)
Full ingredient list — ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum (16)

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.

VerdictsScalp Care Scalp Cleansing SerumProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum
Supported
0
2
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
3
2
Potential conflict
0
0

Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum

  • This rinse-free serum removes dirt, sweat, and buildup while soothing and refreshing the scalp—no water needed.Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Free from sulfates, parabens, and artificial dyes.Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Great for Wavy to coily hair types from 2A to CStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum

  • Hydrates scalp to support natural hair growthSupportedHelps hair feel hydrated.
  • Reinforces roots in just 1 use (with full routine)Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Reduces hair fall due to breakageSupportedReinforces a damaged strand.
  • Fast-absorbing, water-based formulaStated 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.

Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum

Reviewers, many maintaining locs, twists, or other protective styles, say the serum lifts scalp buildup and leaves the scalp feeling clean and fresh between full washes.

Yotpo reviewers on the brand's own site, several describing themselves as braiders/loctitians or clients of one

ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum

Many reviewers say results were inconclusive after weeks of consistent daily use, with no visible change in hair growth, thickness or density.

A recurring complaint targets the twist/push applicator, which many reviewers find hard to unlock, prone to leaking, or breaking after a short time.

Some reviewers report the serum left hair or scalp feeling greasy, itchy or irritated, and a few describe a small bottle that runs out quickly relative to the price.

Reviewers repeatedly describe the serum as lightweight, fast-absorbing and non-greasy, leaving little to no residue on the scalp.

The fragrance-free formula is appreciated by reviewers with scalp sensitivity, though a few wished it had some scent.

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.

$2.50/oz vs $34.82/oz — OGX ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum costs about 14× more per ounce than Design Essentials Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum.

$1.25/oz median $7.25/oz $720.34/oz $2.50/oz Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing $34.82/oz ProGrowth + Peptide Hair S

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 159 scalp treatments with a computable unit price.

Value readScalp Care Scalp Cleansing SerumProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum
Label
Lower cost than most scalp treatmentsCosts less per ounce than most scalp treatments 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.

Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum vs FutureIQ Biomimetic Hair Longevity SerumK18 · 99% function matchProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum vs Turmeric Purifying Hair & Scalp MaskBounce Curl · 99% function matchScalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum vs Clean Beauty Scalp Therapy DropsPaul Mitchell · 99% function matchProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum vs Crown Tonic Pre-Shampoo Scalp-Balancing CleanserDrybar · 99% function matchScalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum vs Lock Drops Anti-Shedding Scalp & Hair SerumBondi Boost · 99% function matchProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum vs Clean Beauty Scalp Therapy DropsPaul Mitchell · 99% function matchScalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum vs Age Defense SerumNioxin · 99% function matchProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum vs Elvive Hyaluron + Pure Oil Erasing Scalp Serum for Oily Roots and ScalpL'Oréal · 99% function match

Scalp Care Scalp Cleansing Serum · ProGrowth + Peptide Hair Strengthening Scalp Serum · All scalp treatments 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.
  • 12 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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