Side by side
Nioxin Age Defense Conditioner vs Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner
55% function match · 4 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 61%. Nioxin Age Defense Conditioner and Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner share 4 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
- 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.
- Age Defense Conditioner — protein-sensitive hair
- Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 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”.
Nioxin
Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner
- Conditioner
- Salon
- Sulfate-free
- Fragrance-free
Compared at different sizes — 33.8 oz against 8.12 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.
- 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
- 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
- Easy to findsold through several channels
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
- Dry or very humid airwhere heavy humectants work against you
- 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
More facts about each one
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
- sulfate-free
- fragrance-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.
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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
What only one of them carries
Age Defense Conditioner
Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner
Full ingredient list — Age Defense Conditioner (18)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Stearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
3
Cetyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
4
Glycerin
- humectant
-
5
Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine
- conditioning agent
-
6
Caffeine
- active
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
7
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
8
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
9
Dicetyldimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
-
10
Glutamic Acid
- amino acid
- pH adjuster
-
11
Niacinamide
- vitamin
- conditioning agent
-
12
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
13
EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
14
Sodium Hyaluronate
- humectant
-
15
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
16
Menthol
- fragrance
- active
-
17
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
18
Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil
- fragrance
- botanical extract
Full ingredient list — Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner (34)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Stearyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
3
Behentrimonium Chloride
- conditioning agent
- cleanser
-
4
Cetyl Alcohol
- fatty alcohol
- emollient
- thickener
-
5
Isopropyl Alcohol
- drying alcohol
- solvent
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
6
Benzyl Alcohol
- preservative
- solvent
-
7
Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil
- fragrance
- botanical extract
-
8
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
- botanical extract
- essential oil
- fragrance
-
9
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
10
Propylene Glycol
- humectant
- solvent
-
11
Quaternium-80
- silicone
- conditioning agent
- film former
-
12
Methylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
13
Propylparaben
- paraben
- preservative
-
14
EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
15
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
16
Camellia Sinensis (Green Tea) Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
- antioxidant
-
17
Polysorbate 20
- solubilizer
- emulsifier
-
18
Niacinamide
- vitamin
- conditioning agent
-
19
Panthenol
- humectant
- conditioning agent
- vitamin
-
20
Biotin
- vitamin
-
21
Lecithin
- emulsifier
- emollient
-
22
Tocopheryl Acetate
- antioxidant
- vitamin
-
23
Foeniculum Vulgare (Fennel) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
-
24
Acer Saccharum (Sugar Maple) Extract
- botanical extract
-
25
Citrus Limon (Lemon) Peel Extract
- botanical extract
-
26
Saccharum Officinarum/Sugar Cane Extract
- botanical extract
-
27
Vaccinium Myrtillus Leaf Extract
- botanical extract
-
28
Yeast Extract
- botanical extract
-
29
Hydrolyzed Silk
- film former
- protein
- hydrolysed protein
-
30
Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Fruit Extract
- botanical extract
-
31
Aleurites Moluccanus (Kukui) Seed Oil
- oil
- emollient
-
32
Maltodextrin
- absorbent
- film former
- binder
-
33
Potassium Sorbate
- preservative
-
34
Sodium Benzoate
- preservative
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.
Age Defense Conditioner
Free of sulfates, parabens, and silicones.
SupportedGentler on colour and coils.
Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner
Designed for natural, untreated hair with progressed thinning
Stated by brandNot something a label can show.Lightweight conditioner that helps provide hair resilience
Partly supportedSupports the surface, not a treatment.Hydrates scalp and hair from root to tip
Partly supportedSome hydration, at a low level.Clinically and dermatologically tested
Stated 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.
Age Defense Conditioner
Users with fine or thin hair describe soft, shiny results without their usual conditioner weigh-down.
Five exact Age Defense Conditioner US brand-site reviews; mixed and low-rating pass inspected.The fragrance is noticeable; users who dislike strong scents may find it too much.
Five exact Age Defense Conditioner US brand-site reviews; mixed and low-rating pass inspected.One reviewer reports softer, hydrated hair without noticing changes in thinning or gray hair.
Five exact Age Defense Conditioner US brand-site reviews; mixed and low-rating pass inspected. This particular limitation appears in one of the five reviews.Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner
Reviewers, including salon professionals reordering for clients, describe the conditioner as effectively hydrating and strengthening hair.
salon/professional userReviewers report the shampoo+conditioner system noticeably encourages hair growth and improved scalp density with continued use.
some reviews collected as part of a manufacturer promotionPaired with its matching shampoo, reviewers report relief from dry, itchy scalp/dandruff-like discomfort.
Available review volume for this specific SKU is thin, and a meaningful share of positive reviews were explicitly collected as part of a promotion, which may inflate sentiment.
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.
$1.57/oz vs $3.26/oz — Nioxin Age Defense Conditioner costs about 2.1× more per ounce than Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner.
Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 689 conditioners 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.
Age Defense Conditioner · Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 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.
- 13 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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