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Side by side

Joico Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner vs Nioxin Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner

10 of 10 functions match Formula overlap 73%. Joico Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner and Nioxin Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner share 4 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.

  • Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner — maximum slip
  • Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner — 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
Joico

Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Moisture-rich
Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner — front of package Nioxin

Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Fragrance-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$24 8.5 oz · $2.82/oz
$27 10.1 oz · $2.67/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a conditioner $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 70% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a conditioner $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 68% 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
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. 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
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
None listed No fragrance is listed. 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
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. 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
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
  • A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label — scented
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
Why you might skip it
  • 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
  • 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
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
Where to buy
Salons · Brand website
Ulta · Amazon
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • sulfate-free
  • fragrance-free
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
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

$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

IngredientColorful Anti-Fade ConditionerNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Stearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#2Leading
Behentrimonium Chloride
Detangles
#3Leading
#3Leading
Cetyl Alcohol
Softens
#6Supporting
#4Supporting
Panthenol
Detangles
#8Supporting
#19Below the 1% line
Isopropyl Alcohol
Drying
#37Below the 1% line
#5Supporting
Benzyl Alcohol
Stabilizes
#42Below the 1% line
#6Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner

Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner

Full ingredient list — Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner (47)
Full ingredient list — Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner (34)

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.

VerdictsColorful Anti-Fade ConditionerNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner
Supported
2
1
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
1
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner

  • Color vibrancy lasts up to 8 weeks with regular use and Glow Beyond serumStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Sulfate-free formulaSupportedGentler on colour and coils.
  • UV protectionPartly supportedIndirect help, not a filter.
  • Increases shine, manageability, and strengthSupportedEasier detangling, less breakage.

Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner

  • Thickens and strengthens hair against breakage while providing color protectionSupportedLess fade per wash.
  • 8 out of 10 users saw thicker, fuller hair in 30 daysStated by brandNot something a label can show.

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.

Joico Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner draws complaints about irritation; Nioxin Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner draws complaints about dryness and weight.

Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner

Reviewers say the conditioner keeps their color-treated hair vibrant and slows visible fading, especially on blonde.

color-treated customers, including blondes

Many reviewers describe hair feeling noticeably softer and frizz-free after regular use.

general reviewers

The pomegranate-forward scent is repeatedly singled out as a favorite feature.

general reviewers

A small number of reviewers report scalp irritation or a facial skin reaction they attributed to this product.

reviewers with sensitive skin/scalp

Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner

Some users report visibly thicker-feeling hair and reduced shedding within about a week of starting the System 3 kit, including new fine regrowth along the hairline.

multiple reviewers, several weeks of regular use

Reviewers note the products are concentrated -- only a small, pea-size amount is needed per use, making a bottle last a long time.

general reviewer feedback on value/usage amount

A recurring complaint is a strong, heavy perfume-like scent that lingers, even among reviewers who otherwise like the results.

reviewer using the full system regularly

At least one reviewer reported scalp dryness and increased hair breakage with weekly use, though they noted a confounding pre-existing thyroid condition.

reviewer with a self-reported thyroid condition, weekly use

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.

$2.67/oz vs $2.82/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $2.82/oz Colorful Anti-Fade Conditi $2.67/oz Nioxin System 3 Scalp Ther

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

Value readColorful Anti-Fade ConditionerNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner
Label
Upper-mid price for a conditionerSits in the middle of the range for conditioners per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a conditionerSits 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.

Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner vs Defy Damage Protective ConditionerJoico · 100% function matchNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner vs Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 1 ConditionerNioxin · 100% function matchColorful Anti-Fade Conditioner vs Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 1 ConditionerNioxin · 100% function matchNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner vs Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 ConditionerNioxin · 100% function matchColorful Anti-Fade Conditioner vs Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 ConditionerNioxin · 100% function matchNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner vs Defy Damage Protective ConditionerJoico · 100% function matchColorful Anti-Fade Conditioner vs Moisture ConditionerKenra · 100% function matchNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner vs Moisture ConditionerKenra · 100% function match

Colorful Anti-Fade Conditioner · Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy 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.

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