Skip to main content

Side by side

Nioxin Fall Defense Shampoo vs Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo

81% function match · 9 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 83%. Nioxin Fall Defense Shampoo and Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo 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.

  • Fall Defense Shampoo — fragrance-free
  • Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo — 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”.

Trait
Nioxin Fall Defense Shampoo — front of package Nioxin

Fall Defense Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Prestige
  • Silicone-free
  • Fragrance-free
Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo — front of package Nioxin

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Silicone-free
  • Fragrance-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$42–47 16 oz · $2.93/oz
$27–33 10.14 oz · $2.94/oz
Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 74% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 74% of the 817 shampoos 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
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. Your hair
Cleansing strength Same
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Little Nothing here is built to reduce combing force. Your hair
Weight on hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
Protein Differs
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Silicone / wax buildup Same
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Low Your hair
Expected lather Same
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
Chelators present Chelators are present — they bind hard-water and pool minerals. 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
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label — scented
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label — scented
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a strong scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
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
Shampoogel
Shampoo
Line
System 2
Where to buy
Brand website · Salons · Grocery / mass …
Ulta · Manufacturer · Amazon
Free of
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • protein-free
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Mint & herbalStrong
How often
every wash

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

IngredientFall Defense ShampooNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
Cleanses
#2Leading
#2Leading
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
Cleanses
#3Leading
#3Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#4Supporting
#4Supporting
Sodium Benzoate
Stabilizes
#7Below the 1% line
#6Below the 1% line
Citric Acid
pH balancer
#8Below the 1% line
#7Below the 1% line
Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil
Fragrance
#9Below the 1% line
#10Below the 1% line
Salicylic Acid
Active
#11Below the 1% line
#9Below the 1% line
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
Fragrance
#17Below the 1% line
#11Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#19Below the 1% line
#17Below the 1% line
Sodium Chloride
Stabilizes
#24Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Fall Defense Shampoo

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Fall Defense Shampoo (25)
Full ingredient list — Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo (44)

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.

VerdictsFall Defense ShampooNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo
Supported
1
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
3
3
Potential conflict
0
0

Fall Defense Shampoo

  • 93% of people have less hair fallStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Clinically proven to grow stronger hair from the rootStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Visibly less hair fall in 12 weeksStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Removes build-upSupportedResets a coated scalp.

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo

  • 85% of consumers noticed a thickening effectStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 80% noticed an increase in hair densityStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Results visible within 30 daysStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

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.

Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo draws complaints about dryness.

Fall Defense Shampoo

Many reviewers report visibly less hair fall and thicker-feeling, growing hair with continued use, sometimes as a stylist recommending it to clients.

mix of personal users and salon stylists recommending it to clients

Several reviewers are hair stylists who buy it repeatedly for their salon and say clients ask for it by name.

salon professionals restocking for clients

Reviewers describe it cleansing and calming an oily or sensitive scalp without over-drying, though a couple note a strong minty/tingling sensation.

reviewers with oily scalp or scalp sensitivity concerns

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo

Stylists and repeat buyers report noticeable hair growth/thickness and reorder for salon clients

stylist/salon users, repeat buyers

Some reviewers with scalp sensitivity/eczema find it calming and not over-drying

sensitive/eczema-prone scalp users

Seen as a good clarifying prep step that balances oily scalp and leaves hair feeling clean with volume

oily-scalp users

A minority report drying or shedding with regular use, particularly fine-haired users

fine-hair users

Strong minty/menthol scent, refreshing to most but strong for some

general users

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.

$2.93/oz vs $2.94/oz — within about the same cost per ounce.

$0.00/oz median $1.47/oz $17.29/oz $2.93/oz Fall Defense Shampoo $2.94/oz Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thicke

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readFall Defense ShampooNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo
Label
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos 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.

Fall Defense Shampoo · Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Shampoo · All shampoos 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.

Still unsure? Take your consultation or browse more products.

Your personalized hair plan

Tell us what’s going on with your hair, see what we understand, and get a plan built around it — with the reason behind every recommendation.

Free to start · $49.00 for your consultation and hair profile · No subscription · Nothing you must buy

Start your consultation