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Side by side

Design Essentials STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 vs Pura d'or Clinically Formulated Biotin Shampoo

84% function match · 7 of the 9 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Design Essentials STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 and Pura d'or Clinically Formulated Biotin Shampoo share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.

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.

  • STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 — colour-treated hair
  • Clinically Formulated Biotin Shampoo — maximum slip

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”.

Price, size & price per ounce
$29.95 16 oz · $1.87/oz
$26.49 16 oz · $1.66/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 60% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 55% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Best for hair types
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
All types Nothing in the formula or the claims narrows this to one pattern. Your hair
Moisture level Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
None found No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair. Your hair
Cleansing strength
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. 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
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
Low The silicones here are the water-soluble kind. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Expected lather Same
Moderate An ordinary shampoo lather. Your hair
Moderate An ordinary shampoo lather. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
  • Vegan and cruelty-freeour researched record has it as both
  • Easy to findsold through several channels
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the upper price tiers
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
Shampoo
Shampoo
Where to buy
Salons · Grocery / mass
Target · Costco · Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · label states
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · label states
Scent
Scented, not described

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

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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 only one of them carries

Full ingredient list — STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 (21)
Full ingredient list — Clinically Formulated Biotin Shampoo (35)
  • 1 Decolorized Aloe Vera (Aloe Barbadensis) (Leaf) Juice
  • 2 Sodium Laurylglucosides Hydroxypropylsulfonate
    • mild anionic cleanser
    • cleanser
  • 3 Hydroxypropyl Bis-Hydroxyethyldimonium Chloride
    • conditioning agent
  • 4 Cocamidopropyl Hydroxysultaine
    • amphoteric cleanser
    • secondary cleanser
    • cleanser
  • 5 Sodium Cocoamphoacetate
    • amphoteric cleanser
    • secondary cleanser
    • cleanser
  • 6 Polyquaternium-73
    • conditioning agent
    • film former
    • polymer
  • 7 Cocamide MIPA
    • secondary cleanser
    • nonionic cleanser
    • thickener
  • 8 Tea Tree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) (Leaf) Oil
  • 9 Argan (Argania Spinosa) (Kernel) Oil
  • 10 Biotin
    • vitamin
  • 11 Black Cumin (Nigella Sativa) (Seed) Oil
  • 12 East Indian Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Flexuosus) (Leaf) Oil
  • 13 Amla (Phyllanthus Emblica) (Fruit) Oil
  • 14 Red Korean Seaweed (Grateloupia Elliptica) Extract
  • 15 Stinging Nettle (Urtica Dioica) (Leaf) Extract
  • 16 Saw Palmetto (Serenoa Serrulata) (Fruit) Extract
  • 17 Cedarwood (Cedrus Atlantica) (Bark) Oil
  • 18 Rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis) (Leaf) Oil
  • 19 Clary Sage (Salvia Sclarea) (Flower/Leaf) Oil
  • 20 Fo Ti (Polygonum Multiflorum) (Root) Extract
  • 21 Lemon (Citrus Limon) (Peel) Oil
  • 22 Grapefruit (Citrus Paradisi) (Peel) Oil
  • 23 Hibiscus (Hibiscus Sabdariffa) (Flower) Extract
  • 24 Niacin
  • 25 Pumpkin (Cucurbita Pepo) (Seed) Oil
  • 26 Pygeum (Prunus Africana) (Bark) Extract
  • 27 Zinc Gluconate
  • Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
  • 28 Tocopheryl Acetate
    • antioxidant
    • vitamin
  • 29 Soy Isoflavones
  • 30 Beta-Sitosterol
  • 31 Green Tea (Camellia Sinensis) (Leaf) Extract
  • 32 Xylityl Sesquicaprylate
    • light ester
    • emollient
  • 33 Lactobacillus Ferment
    • preservative
    • botanical extract
  • 34 White Willow (Salix Alba) (Bark) Extract
  • 35 Citric Acid
    • pH adjuster
    • hard-water chelator

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.

VerdictsSTS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1Clinically Formulated Biotin Shampoo
Supported
1
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
3
Potential conflict
0
0

STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1

  • Cleanses hair before the STS Express system.Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Sulfate-free formula with biotin.SupportedGentler on colour and coils.

Clinically Formulated Biotin Shampoo

  • Clinically tested for fine, thinning hairStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 2X the Concentrated Key Ingredients help reduce hair thinning due to breakageStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Multi-purpose: 3-in-1 Shampoo, Conditioner & Body WashStated 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.

STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1

Reviewers describe the shampoo as effective and long-lasting

Walmart exact-product reviewers

A reviewer reports leakage/late delivery rather than product performance

Walmart exact-product reviewer

Clinically Formulated Biotin Shampoo

A few reviewers who had used the product for a while suspect the formula changed, citing worse results than before.

A recurring complaint is that the shampoo leaves hair feeling dried out or stripped.

Many reviewers say their hair feels softer and thicker and holds a style longer after switching to this shampoo.

Several long-term users report a visible reduction in hair shedding and some describe new regrowth.

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.

$1.66/oz vs $1.87/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.

$0.00/oz median $1.47/oz $17.29/oz $1.87/oz STS Express Cleansing Sulf $1.66/oz Clinically Formulated Biot

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readSTS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1Clinically Formulated Biotin Shampoo
Label
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.

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.

STS Express Cleansing Sulfate-Free Shampoo Step 1 · Clinically Formulated Biotin 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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