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Side by side

Kristin Ess Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner vs Kristin Ess Ultra Lightweight Softening Conditioner

48% function match · 4 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 49%. Kristin Ess Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner and Kristin Ess Ultra Lightweight Softening 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.

  • Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner — protein-hungry hair
  • Ultra Lightweight Softening Conditioner — protein-sensitive hair

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
Kristin Ess Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner — brand photograph Kristin Ess

Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Kristin Ess Ultra Lightweight Softening Conditioner — 10 oz container Kristin Ess

Ultra Lightweight Softening Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$14.99 10 oz · $1.50/oz
$11–12 10 oz · $1.20/oz
Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs less than 53% of the 699 conditioners we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs less than 62% of the 699 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
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. 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
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 Differs
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Differs
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Moderate Your hair
High Your hair
Hard-water defence Differs
None No chelating agent in the list. 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
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Dry, thirsty hairhumectants and emollients both sit up front
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • 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
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a moderate 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
Target · Ulta
Brand website · Ulta
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
Vegan
Vegan · label states
—
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · label states
Cruelty-free · label states
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

IngredientKristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing ConditionerUltra Lightweight Softening Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#2Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#4Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line
Behentrimonium Chloride
Detangles
#5Below the 1% line
#4Supporting
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#8Below the 1% line
#10Below the 1% line
Ethylhexylglycerin
Softens
#15Below the 1% line
#17Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner

Ultra Lightweight Softening Conditioner

Full ingredient list — Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner (29)
Full ingredient list — Ultra Lightweight Softening Conditioner (26)

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.

VerdictsKristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing ConditionerUltra Lightweight Softening Conditioner
Supported
5
1
Partly supported
2
0
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
0
0
cruelty-free
SupportedMatches our researched record.
SupportedMatches our researched record.

Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner

  • silicone-freeSupportedNothing that needs a strong wash.
  • sulfate-freeSupportedGentler on colour and coils.
  • paraben-freeSupportedPreserved without parabens.
  • phthalate-freeStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • veganSupportedMatches our researched record.
  • volumizingPartly supportedNeutral on lift.
  • 48-hour-liftPartly supportedNeutral on lift.

Ultra Lightweight Softening Conditioner

No claims recorded for this product beyond the ones above.

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.

Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner

No review themes researched for this product yet.

Ultra Lightweight Softening Conditioner

Many reviewers say the conditioner leaves hair soft and manageable without weighing it down.

Several reviewers report the opposite effect, saying it made their hair feel greasy, heavy, or weighed down.

Reviewers frequently mention a subtle coconut-toned scent that most found pleasant and not overpowering.

A recurring complaint is that the flimsy bottle becomes hard to squeeze product from as it empties.

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.

$1.20/oz vs $1.50/oz — Kristin Ess Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner costs about 1.3× more per ounce than Kristin Ess Ultra Lightweight Softening Conditioner.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $1.50/oz Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost $1.20/oz Ultra Lightweight Softenin

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 699 conditioners with a computable unit price.

Value readKristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing ConditionerUltra Lightweight Softening 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.

Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner vs Bond Pro Fortifying ConditionerGoldwell · 95% function matchUltra Lightweight Softening Conditioner vs Extra Strength Coconut Miracle Oil ConditionerOGX · 98% function matchKristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner vs Extra-Body ConditionerPaul Mitchell · 95% function matchUltra Lightweight Softening Conditioner vs Vault Color-Lock Conditioneramika · 98% function matchKristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner vs Puremix Wild Honey Repairing ConditionerRusk · 90% function matchUltra Lightweight Softening Conditioner vs Renewing + Argan Oil of Morocco Hair Soften & Strengthen ConditionerOGX · 97% function matchKristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner vs Instantly Thick +Biotin Plump & Lift ConditionerMarc Anthony · 90% function matchUltra Lightweight Softening Conditioner vs Clay & Charcoal Soften & Moisture Replenish ConditionerCreme of Nature · 96% function match

Kristin Ess+ Peptide Boost Volumizing Conditioner · Ultra Lightweight Softening 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.
  • 9 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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