Side by side
Herbal Essences Herbal Essences Classic Clarifying Shampoo (Tea Tree) vs Neutrogena Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula
85% function match · 11 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 56%. Herbal Essences Herbal Essences Classic Clarifying Shampoo (Tea Tree) and Neutrogena Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula share 4 ingredients 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
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When each one is the right call
What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.
- Herbal Essences Classic Clarifying Shampoo (Tea Tree) — protein-sensitive hair
- Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula — flaking scalps
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”.
Herbal Essences
Herbal Essences Classic Clarifying Shampoo (Tea Tree)
- Shampoo
- Value
- Silicone-free
- Protein-free
Neutrogena
Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula
- Shampoo
- Drugstore
- Silicone-free
- Protein-free
Compared at different sizes — 33.8 oz against 16 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
- Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
- Fine hairthat flattens under most products
- Flaking scalpsthis carries an over-the-counter active
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
- Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
- Scents bother youthis product carries a strong scent
- Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
- Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
- Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
More facts about each one
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- silicone-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
Herbal Essences Classic Clarifying Shampoo (Tea Tree)
Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula
Full ingredient list — Herbal Essences Classic Clarifying Shampoo (Tea Tree) (18)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- sulfate cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
- sulfate cleanser
- cleanser
-
4
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
5
Sodium Citrate
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
6
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
7
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
8
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
9
Melaleuca Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
10
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Flower/Leaf/Stem Oil
- emollient
- essential oil
- oil
-
11
Mentha Arvensis Leaf/Stem Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
12
Menthol
- fragrance
- active
-
13
Sodium Xylenesulfonate
- solubilizer
-
14
Cocamide MEA
- secondary cleanser
- nonionic cleanser
- thickener
-
15
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
-
16
Tetrasodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
17
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
18
Methylisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
Full ingredient list — Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula (12)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
- sulfate cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamide MEA
- secondary cleanser
- nonionic cleanser
- thickener
-
4
Laureth-4
- emulsifier
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
5
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
6
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
7
Polysorbate 20
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
8
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
9
DMDM Hydantoin
- formaldehyde releaser
- preservative
-
10
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
11
Tetrasodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
12
Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
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.
Herbal Essences Classic Clarifying Shampoo (Tea Tree)
Removes build-up and residue, leaving your hair squeaky clean and full of weightless volume
SupportedResets a coated scalp.Crafted without mineral oil or silicone
SupportedNothing that needs a strong wash.pH-balanced and gentle enough for daily use
SupportedBrought to an acidic pH.
Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula
Controls the symptoms of dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis and psoriasis
SupportedA recognised active does the work.
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 how gentle it is. Neutrogena Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula draws complaints about dryness and the scent.
Herbal Essences Classic Clarifying Shampoo (Tea Tree)
Felt soothing on an easily-irritated, sun-sensitive scalp rather than causing burning or irritation
sensitive/sun-sensitive scalpRefreshing tea tree scent described as strong but not overbearing, lingers pleasantly after washing
Clarifies and cleanses deeply, leaving hair squeaky clean without feeling overly stripped for most users
A returning customer asked whether the formula had changed from a prior year's version they preferred; the brand confirmed both packaging and formula were updated.
Some reviewers feel they need to double-cleanse to get the full clarifying benefit, rating it just okay for the price
Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula
Reviewers with diagnosed psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, or long-standing severe dandruff report significant flake/itch relief within days to weeks of starting use.
long-term sufferers (some 15-25 years), several after other treatments failedLong-time users describe it as a reliable mainstay that controls scalp psoriasis and seborrheic-dermatitis symptoms effectively
users with scalp psoriasis/seborrheic dermatitisRelief from itching and flaking is reported to persist for hours after rinsing, consistent with labeled claims
Formula-conscious reviewers criticize the inclusion of sulfates, fragrance, and a formaldehyde-releasing preservative as dated/irritating despite efficacy
ingredient-sensitive usersA minority of users, particularly those with already-dry or sensitive scalps, report the shampoo strips too much oil, leaving hair and scalp drier and occasionally worsening flaking.
sensitive-scalp users; a moderator on one site estimated roughly 5-6 percent of commentersMany reviewers describe a strong, medicinal/tar-like scent as unpleasant, comparing it to mothballs, petrol, or a tire shop.
general usersPrice 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.
Herbal Essences Classic Clarifying Shampoo (Tea Tree)
Against 817 shampoos 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.
Herbal Essences Classic Clarifying Shampoo (Tea Tree) · Neutrogena T/Gel Therapeutic Shampoo Original Formula · 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.
- 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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