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Side by side

Kevin Murphy Ever.Smooth vs Kevin Murphy Staying.Alive

70% function match · 4 of the 7 functions we compared match Formula overlap 3%. Kevin Murphy Ever.Smooth and Kevin Murphy Staying.Alive share 2 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.

  • Ever.Smooth — protein-sensitive hair
  • Staying.Alive — curl definition

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
Kevin Murphy Ever.Smooth — 5.1 oz container Kevin Murphy

Ever.Smooth

  • Leave-in
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Kevin Murphy Staying.Alive — container, alternate view Kevin Murphy

Staying.Alive

  • Leave-in
  • Salon
Price, size & price per ounce
$32.84 5.1 oz · $7.44/oz
$34 5.1 oz · $6.67/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 88% of the 481 leave-ins we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 82% of the 481 leave-ins 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
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Moderate Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. 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
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein
None No protein or amino acids in the list. 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
Moderate Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
A simple formula
out of 10
Covers the core
Who should choose this
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Very dry hairno fast-drying alcohol in the list
  • Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • 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
Leave-inspray
Leave-inspray
Where to buy
Brand website · Amazon
Brand website · Salons
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
—
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · label states
Scent
Mint & herbal · Floral
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 both formulas carry

IngredientEver.SmoothStaying.Alive
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#22Below the 1% line
#25Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#17Below the 1% line
#18Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Ever.Smooth

Staying.Alive

Full ingredient list — Ever.Smooth (27)
Full ingredient list — Staying.Alive (27)

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.

VerdictsEver.SmoothStaying.Alive
Supported
3
3
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Ever.Smooth

  • Weightless spray creates the ultimate silky, smooth blow drySupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Delivers softness, volume and a frizz free finishSupportedLeaves room for lift.
  • Activated by the heat of your blow dryerStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Extends style longevity and shineSupportedReflects light for visible shine.

Staying.Alive

  • A high-performance leave-in treatment, that instantly helps repair damaged or colour-treated hairStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Helps to seal the cuticleSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Helps fight frizz and deliver smoothnessSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • Sulphate, paraben, and cruelty-freeSupportedMatches our researched record.

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 frizz control. Kevin Murphy Ever.Smooth draws complaints about the scent.

Ever.Smooth

Verified buyers report smoother hair and shorter blow-dry time.

Anonymous verified Walmart reviewer and salon-introduced user

Fine-haired reviewers report sleek results without weight and reduced frizz.

marm_2373 and carkane8025, eBay verified buyers

Verified buyers report smoother hair and shorter blow-dry time.

Walmart verified reviewers

Fine-haired reviewers report sleek results without weight and reduced frizz.

marm_2373 and carkane8025, eBay verified buyers

Scent is polarized, with one reviewer comparing it to a masculine cologne.

Amie, Walmart verified reviewer

Walmart exact listing is currently out of stock; heat-activated styling is recorded without a quantified heat-protection claim.

Distributor and Walmart pages; Aug 2026 capture

Staying.Alive

Multiple reviewers report a noticeable reduction in frizz and easier styling after spraying it on damp hair.

general reviewers

Reviewers with fine hair say it adds lift and volume without feeling sticky, greasy, or heavy.

reviewers who self-identify as having fine hair

Detangling right out of the shower is the single most cited use, applied as a first step before other leave-ins or styling products.

general reviewers

A few reviewers with fine hair describe the volumizing effect as modest rather than dramatic, though they still consider the leave-in benefit worthwhile.

reviewers with fine hair looking for a volumizing effect

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.

$6.67/oz vs $7.44/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.

$0.01/oz median $2.17/oz $76.00/oz $7.44/oz Ever.Smooth $6.67/oz Staying.Alive

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 481 leave-ins with a computable unit price.

Value readEver.SmoothStaying.Alive
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.

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.

Ever.Smooth vs Miracle Blow Dry H2O ShieldIt's a 10 · 95% function matchStaying.Alive vs Keratin & Green Tea RestructurizerAphogee · 93% function matchEver.Smooth vs Grow Long Anti-Frizz Shield Ultimate Blowout SprayMarc Anthony · 95% function matchStaying.Alive vs Plump Emulsion + Collagen Conditioning Hair Mist SprayOGX · 93% function matchEver.Smooth vs No More Tangles Detangling SprayJohnson's · 95% function matchStaying.Alive vs Mango & Tulsi Nourishing Thermal Protectant SprayMielle · 93% function matchEver.Smooth vs Conditioning Hair Detangling Spray with Frizz Control (Smooth Rose Hips)Herbal Essences · 95% function matchStaying.Alive vs Get Hydrated Ultra-Moisturizing Splash MaskOuidad · 93% function match

Ever.Smooth · Staying.Alive · All leave-ins 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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