Skip to main content

Side by side

Garnier Fructis Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner vs Kristin Ess Strengthening Conditioner

92% function match · 8 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 59%. Garnier Fructis Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner and Kristin Ess Strengthening Conditioner share 3 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.

  • Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner — maximum slip
  • Strengthening Conditioner — 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”.

Trait
Garnier Fructis Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner — 12 oz container Garnier Fructis

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Value
  • Sulfate-free
Kristin Ess Strengthening Conditioner — 10 oz container Kristin Ess

Strengthening Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$13.32 12 oz · $1.11/oz
$12–13 10 oz · $1.24/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Value tier · costs less than 66% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 61% of the 689 conditioners 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 Same
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating 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
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. Your hair
Protein Same
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. 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
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
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
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
  • A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the lower price tiers
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
  • A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
  • Tight budgetsit sits in the lower price tiers
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a strong scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
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
Sleek & Shine
—
Where to buy
Grocery / mass
Brand website · Specialty beauty
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • sulfate-free
Vegan
Vegan · label states
—
Cruelty-free
—
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
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

$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

IngredientGarnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing ConditionerStrengthening Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#2Leading
Behentrimonium Chloride
Detangles
#3Leading
#4Supporting
Fragrance
Fragrance
#5Below the 1% line
#3Leading
Isopropyl Alcohol
Drying
#6Below the 1% line
#33Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#7Below the 1% line
#29Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner

Strengthening Conditioner

Full ingredient list — Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner (32)
Full ingredient list — Strengthening Conditioner (59)

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.

VerdictsGarnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing ConditionerStrengthening Conditioner
Supported
1
3
Partly supported
0
1
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner

  • Up to 3 days of frizz control in up to 97% humidityStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Formulated with argan oil from Morocco and vegan keratinSupportedMatches our researched record.

Strengthening Conditioner

  • Biotin and amino acid infusedSupportedThe named ingredient is really there.
  • Help fight frizz, boost resiliency, and help prevent breakagePartly supportedSupports the surface, not a treatment.
  • Detangles easilySupportedEasier detangling, less breakage.
  • Leaves hair smoother, shinier, and healthier-lookingSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.

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 slip. Garnier Fructis Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner draws complaints about weight; Kristin Ess Strengthening Conditioner draws complaints about tangling and frizz.

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner

Reduces frizz and adds shine with pleasant, long-lasting scent

Lightweight formula that hydrates without heavy buildup

Effective detangling, especially noted for longer or textured hair

longer/textured hair

Can feel too moisturizing/heavy for fine hair

fine hair

Reviewer consensus best suited to straight-to-wavy textures; less favored on fine or curly hair

straight to wavy vs fine/curly hair

Strengthening Conditioner

Several reviewers say the conditioner leaves hair feeling noticeably softer and easier to detangle, with a fuller-looking texture afterward.

Ulta shoppers who purchased the product

A number of reviewers feel it doesn't moisturize enough on its own, describing ends that still feel slightly dry after a full application.

Ulta shoppers who purchased the product

Some reviewers say it takes a generous amount to detangle fully, and that hair can still be left somewhat frizzy afterward.

Ulta shoppers who purchased the product

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.

$1.11/oz vs $1.24/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $1.11/oz Garnier Fructis Sleek & Sh $1.24/oz Strengthening Conditioner

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

Value readGarnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing ConditionerStrengthening Conditioner
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for conditioners per ounce.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for conditioners 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.

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner vs Fructis Curl Nourish ConditionerGarnier · 100% function matchStrengthening Conditioner vs Clean Beauty Hydrate ConditionerPaul Mitchell · 93% function matchGarnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner vs Pureology Strength Cure ConditionerPureology · 100% function matchStrengthening Conditioner vs Pureology Strength Cure ConditionerPureology · 92% function matchGarnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner vs Sleek Shine Leave-In ConditionerGarnier Fructis · 95% function matchStrengthening Conditioner vs Fructis Curl Nourish ConditionerGarnier · 92% function matchGarnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner vs Nanoworks Gold ConditionerPureology · 95% function matchStrengthening Conditioner vs Curls ConditionerSun Bum · 92% function match

Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Smoothing Conditioner · Strengthening 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.
  • 8 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.

Your personalized hair plan

Tell us what’s going on with your hair, see what we understand, and get a plan built around it — with the reason behind every recommendation.

Free to start · $49.00 for your consultation and hair profile · No subscription · Nothing you must buy

Start your consultation