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Side by side

Moroccanoil Color Care Conditioner vs Moroccanoil Scalp Balancing Conditioner

60% function match · 5 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 42%. Moroccanoil Color Care Conditioner and Moroccanoil Scalp Balancing 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.

  • Color Care Conditioner — protein-sensitive hair
  • Scalp Balancing 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
Moroccanoil Color Care Conditioner — container, alternate view Moroccanoil

Color Care Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Protein-free
Moroccanoil

Scalp Balancing Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Prestige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$30 8.5 oz · $3.55/oz
$30 8.5 oz · $3.55/oz
Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 80% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 80% 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 Differs
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
High Humectants near the top — water-binding is a headline mechanism here. 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
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Same
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
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
High Your hair
High Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Present, high in the list Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Hard-water defence Differs
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. Your hair
None No chelating agent in the list. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Complete for its job
out of 10
Complete for its job
Who should choose this
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Cuticle-smoothing pHa pH adjuster brings it to the acidic range hair prefers
  • A wide range of haira middle-of-the-range weight
  • 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
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
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 scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
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
Line
Color Care
Scalp Balancing
Where to buy
Salons · Brand website · Ulta
Brand website · Salons
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • protein-free
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
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

IngredientColor Care ConditionerScalp Balancing Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#3Leading
Behentrimonium Chloride
Detangles
#6Supporting
#5Supporting
Argania Spinosa Kernel Oil
Softens
#8Supporting
#9Secondary
Fragrance
Fragrance
#10Below the 1% line
#16Below the 1% line
Isopropyl Alcohol
Drying
#16Below the 1% line
#18Below the 1% line
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#14Below the 1% line
#2Leading

What only one of them carries

Color Care Conditioner

Scalp Balancing Conditioner

Full ingredient list — Color Care Conditioner (39)
Full ingredient list — Scalp Balancing Conditioner (35)

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.

VerdictsColor Care ConditionerScalp Balancing Conditioner
Supported
1
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
2
Potential conflict
0
1

Color Care Conditioner

  • 90% of users noticed healthy-looking shine in just one useStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Sulfate, phosphate, and paraben-free formulationSupportedPreserved without parabens.

Scalp Balancing Conditioner

  • Gently yet powerfully purifies the scalp to help reduce visible flaking, buildup, and oils and relieve discomfortPotential conflictToo gentle for real build-up.
  • 95% of participants showed clinical reduction in oiliness after one use of the shampoo and conditionerStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 91% of participants showed clinical improvement in scalp hydration after one useStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

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 the scent.

Color Care Conditioner

Reviewers report it leaves hair soft while helping protect color from fading, describing it as delivering on its stated purpose.

color-treated hair

Long-time users, including some older customers, report continued satisfaction with overall hair condition after regular use of the shampoo+conditioner combination.

long-term user

Reviewers describe the fragrance as pleasant and not overpowering, echoing the paired shampoo.

Reviewers describe the conditioner as noticeably thick/rich in texture.

Scalp Balancing Conditioner

Some reviewers use it on a partner or family members hair/beard specifically to address flaking

household use beyond the primary purchaser, including a mens beard use case

Hair is left feeling soft and silky, and the signature Moroccanoil scent is called out favorably

general users, some already familiar with other Moroccanoil products

Reviewers describe noticeable scalp comfort/relief (less itching or irritation) alongside the flaking improvement

includes a caregiver reviewer buying for an elderly relative with scalp issues

Reviewers report a reduction in scalp flaking and dandruff-like buildup after regular use

multiple reviewers with dry/flaky scalp concerns, including one describing scalp psoriasis

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.

$3.55/oz vs $3.55/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $3.55/oz Color Care Conditioner $3.55/oz Scalp Balancing Conditione

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

Value readColor Care ConditionerScalp Balancing Conditioner
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.

Color Care Conditioner vs Nexxus Color Assure Conditioner for Color-Treated Hair with Elastin Protein and QuinoaNexxus · 93% function matchScalp Balancing Conditioner vs Scalp Revival Dandruff Relief Conditioner with Charcoal + 1.8% Salicylic AcidBriogeo · 95% function matchColor Care Conditioner vs Mirrorball High Shine Protect Antioxidant Conditioneramika · 93% function matchScalp Balancing Conditioner vs Be Gentle, Be Kind Aloe + Oat Milk Ultra Soothing ConditionerBriogeo · 95% function matchColor Care Conditioner vs Ultimate Repair ConditionerWella Professionals · 93% function matchScalp Balancing Conditioner vs Guava Slip ConditionerCamille Rose · 95% function matchColor Care Conditioner vs Frizz Control ConditionerMoroccanoil · 92% function matchScalp Balancing Conditioner vs Caribbean Coconut Milk ConditionerAlikay Naturals · 95% function match

Color Care Conditioner · Scalp Balancing 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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