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Side by side

Nioxin Fall Defense Shampoo vs Nioxin Scalp Relief Shampoo

80% function match · 9 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 28%. Nioxin Fall Defense Shampoo and Nioxin Scalp Relief Shampoo share 2 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
  • Scalp Relief Shampoo — colour-treated 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
Nioxin Fall Defense Shampoo — front of package Nioxin

Fall Defense Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Prestige
  • Silicone-free
  • Fragrance-free
Nioxin Scalp Relief Shampoo — front of package Nioxin

Scalp Relief Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$42–47 16 oz · $2.93/oz
about $27 6.76 oz · $3.99/oz

Compared at different sizes — 16 oz against 6.76 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Prestige tier · costs more than 74% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 85% 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 Same
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Cleansing strength Differs
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Moderate Removes oil and product; leaves some conditioning behind. Your hair
Slip / detangling Same
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. 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
Prominent Fragrance sits in the first eight ingredients — a larger share of the formula. 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
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 Differs
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Moderate An ordinary shampoo lather. 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 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
  • 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
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
  • 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 scent
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
  • Hard waterno chelator here to bind the minerals
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
Where to buy
Brand website · Salons · Grocery / mass …
Brand website · Salons · Amazon
Free of
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • protein-free
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
—
Scented, not described
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 ShampooScalp Relief Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#4Supporting
#2Leading
Sodium Benzoate
Stabilizes
#7Below the 1% line
#7Below the 1% line
Citric Acid
pH balancer
#8Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Fall Defense Shampoo

Scalp Relief Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Fall Defense Shampoo (25)
Full ingredient list — Scalp Relief Shampoo (18)

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 ShampooScalp Relief Shampoo
Supported
1
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
3
1
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.

Scalp Relief Shampoo

  • SENSITIVE, DRY & ITCHY SCALPStated by brandSoothing, not an active treatment.

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.

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

Scalp Relief Shampoo

No review themes researched for this product yet.

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 $3.99/oz — Nioxin Scalp Relief Shampoo costs about 1.4× more per ounce than Nioxin Fall Defense Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.48/oz $17.29/oz $2.93/oz Fall Defense Shampoo $3.99/oz Scalp Relief Shampoo

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

Value readFall Defense ShampooScalp Relief Shampoo
Label
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
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.

Fall Defense Shampoo vs Ultimate Smooth ShampooWella Professionals · 100% function matchScalp Relief Shampoo vs Pro Pure Curl Define ShampooTRESemme · 96% function matchFall Defense Shampoo vs Oil Control ShampooAmerican Crew · 100% function matchScalp Relief Shampoo vs Pro Pure Damage Recovery ShampooTRESemme · 96% function matchFall Defense Shampoo vs Surf Foam Wash Texturizing ShampooBumble and bumble · 100% function matchScalp Relief Shampoo vs Black Vanilla Moisture & Shine Sulfate Free ShampooCarol's Daughter · 96% function matchFall Defense Shampoo vs Boost Pre-Styling ShampooAmerican Crew · 100% function matchScalp Relief Shampoo vs Gentle Lather Shampoo, Citrus LavenderJessicurl · 96% function match

Fall Defense Shampoo · Scalp Relief 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.
  • 12 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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