Side by side
Matrix High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse vs Nioxin Hair Thickening Gel
89% function match · 10 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 4%. Matrix High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse and Nioxin Hair Thickening Gel share 2 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
- Your answers appear here
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When each one is the right call
What each formula is built for, from its own ingredient list.
- High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse — protein-sensitive hair
- Hair Thickening Gel — 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”.
Compared at different sizes — 11.3 oz against 5.1 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.
- 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
- Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label — scented
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Curl definitionfilm formers hold a clump together
- Fine hairthat flattens under most products
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- Anyone who dislikes a castthe film formers here can set firm
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- protein-free
- sulfate-free
- fragrance-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.
$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
Holds
What only one of them carries
High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse
Full ingredient list — High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse (28)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Isobutane
- propellant
-
3
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
4
VP/Acrylates/Lauryl Methacrylate Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
5
AMP-Acrylates/Allyl Methacrylate Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
6
Propane
- propellant
-
7
PEG-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
8
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
9
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
10
Aminomethyl Propanol
- pH adjuster
-
11
Amodimethicone
- silicone
- conditioning agent
- film former
-
12
Methylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
13
Oleth-10
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
14
Disodium Cocoamphodipropionate
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
15
Trideceth-12
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
16
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
17
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
18
Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
19
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
20
Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
21
Citronellol
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
22
Cetrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
-
23
Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
-
24
Lecithin
- emulsifier
- emollient
- 25 Phosphoric Acid
-
26
Polyquaternium-10
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
-
27
Ethylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
28
Disodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
Full ingredient list — Hair Thickening Gel (13)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sorbitol
- humectant
-
3
Glycerin
- humectant
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
4
Aminomethyl Propanol
- pH adjuster
-
5
Carbomer
- thickener
- polymer
- film former
-
6
Octylacrylamide/Acrylates/Butylaminoethyl Methacrylate Copolymer
- film former
- polymer
-
7
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
8
Panthenol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
9
Amodimethicone
- silicone
- conditioning agent
- film former
-
10
Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil
- fragrance
- botanical extract
-
11
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
12
Linalool
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
13
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
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.
High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse
Full bodifying volumizer
SupportedLeaves room for lift.lightweight foam
SupportedLess likely to weigh hair down.
Hair Thickening Gel
Flexible hold
Potential conflictExpect a cast you have to scrunch out.Adds body and definition
SupportedLeaves room for lift.For all hair types
Stated by brandSee the fit panel instead.Fuller-looking hair
Stated 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.
Both praised for volume. Matrix High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse draws complaints about weight and volume.
High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse
Gives noticeable volume without leaving hair dry or feeling stripped
Ulta reviewer (Bri, Madison AL)On fine hair it can feel heavy and fails to add lift, leaving hair flat
Ulta reviewer (Caligirl, Temecula)Pleasant scent, though reviewer wishes it could be layered with dry shampoo
Ulta reviewer (Quinny, New Hampshire)Hair Thickening Gel
Wanted a hairspray/product that held side-swept bangs out of the face with strong but flexible hold, and it delivered
5-star reviewer with side-swept bangsCompares favorably to Kenra for hold and volume without weighing hair down
3-star reviewer comparing to another brandReview snapshot shows a large share of reviewers cite 'Strong Hold' as a pro, with a small minority calling it sticky
aggregated review snapshot (117 cited strong hold, 8 cited sticky)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.
$2.00/oz vs $3.23/oz — Nioxin Hair Thickening Gel costs about 1.6× more per ounce than Matrix High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse.
High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse
Against 138 mousses with a computable unit price.
Hair Thickening Gel
Against 157 gels 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.
High Amplify Foam Volumizer Full Bodifying Mousse · Hair Thickening Gel · All mousses 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.
- 4 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.
- This particular combination is not listed in our sitemap: we only submit pairs of comparable products that our similarity data says people would actually weigh against each other.
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