Side by side
Design Essentials Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum vs Paul Mitchell Clear Smoothing Serum
96% function match · 11 of the 12 functions we compared match Formula overlap 35%. Design Essentials Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum and Paul Mitchell Clear Smoothing Serum share 1 ingredient 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
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When each one is the right call
What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.
- Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum — protein-sensitive hair
- Clear Smoothing 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”.
Design Essentials
Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum
- Finisher
- Masstige
- Sulfate-free
- Protein-free
Compared at different sizes — 4 oz against 0.85 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Dull-looking haira recognised shine system is present
- Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
- Sun and colour fadea UV filter is in the list
- Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label
- Unscentedfree of strong smells
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Dull-looking haira recognised shine system is present
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- If scent matters to younothing is added here
- Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- protein-free
- sulfate-free
- fragrance-free
- protein-free
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.
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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
Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum
Clear Smoothing Serum
Full ingredient list — Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum (10)
-
1
Isopropyl Palmitate
- light ester
- emollient
-
2
C13-15 Alkane
- emollient
- solvent
-
3
Dimethiconol
- silicone
- emollient
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
4
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
5
Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate
- UV filter
-
6
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
7
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
8
Benzyl Benzoate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
9
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
10
Citronellol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
Full ingredient list — Clear Smoothing Serum (3)
-
1
Isododecane
- solvent
- emollient
-
2
Dimethicone
- silicone
- emollient
- conditioning agent
-
3
Dimethiconol
- silicone
- emollient
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.
Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum
Reduces smoke/damage while flat ironing
Adds shine without weighing hair down
Silky, non-liquid texture preferred over sprays
Long-time repeat use, brand loyalty
Clear Smoothing Serum
The lightweight fragrance-free formula is particularly valued by customers with scalp sensitivities and fragrance allergies.
Some reviewers find the product too drying and report increased frizz or dryness with regular use.
Users consistently report that a minimal amount smooths frizz and delivers shine without leaving greasiness.
The serum provides noticeable silky texture and polished appearance while feeling weightless on the hair.
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.
$5.21/oz vs $14.12/oz — Paul Mitchell Clear Smoothing Serum costs about 2.7× more per ounce than Design Essentials Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum.
Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 79 serums 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.
Silk Essentials Thermal Strengthening Serum · Clear Smoothing Serum · All serums 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.
- 5 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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