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Side by side

Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner vs Nioxin Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner

10 of 10 functions match Formula overlap 100%. Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner and Nioxin Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy 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.

  • Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner — fragrance-free
  • Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy 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”.

Trait
Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner — front of package Nioxin

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Fragrance-free
Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner — front of package Nioxin

Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner

  • Conditioner
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Fragrance-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$53 33.8 oz · $1.57/oz
$27 10.1 oz · $2.67/oz

Compared at different sizes — 33.8 oz against 10.1 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 51% of the 689 conditioners we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a conditioner $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 68% 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 Same
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Oils and butters Same
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Low Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. 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
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
Protein Same
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. 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
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
  • 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
  • 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
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 strong scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
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
System 2
—
Where to buy
Ulta · Salons · Brand website …
Ulta · Amazon
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • fragrance-free
  • sulfate-free
  • fragrance-free
Cruelty-free
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Not cruelty-free · PETA-listed

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

IngredientNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 ConditionerNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Stearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#2Leading
Behentrimonium Chloride
Detangles
#3Leading
#3Leading
Cetyl Alcohol
Softens
#4Supporting
#4Supporting
Isopropyl Alcohol
Drying
#5Supporting
#5Supporting
Benzyl Alcohol
Stabilizes
#6Below the 1% line
#6Below the 1% line
Mentha Arvensis Leaf Oil
Fragrance
#7Below the 1% line
#7Below the 1% line
Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil
Fragrance
#8Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line
Quaternium-80
Buildup
#11Below the 1% line
#11Below the 1% line
Limonene
Fragrance
#15Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line
Hydrolyzed Silk
Protein
#29Below the 1% line
#29Below the 1% line
Full ingredient list — Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner (34)
Full ingredient list — Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner (34)

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.

VerdictsNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 ConditionerNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner
Supported
0
1
Partly supported
2
0
Stated by brand
2
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner

  • Designed for natural, untreated hair with progressed thinningStated by brandNot something a label can show.
  • Lightweight conditioner that helps provide hair resiliencePartly supportedSupports the surface, not a treatment.
  • Hydrates scalp and hair from root to tipPartly supportedSome hydration, at a low level.
  • Clinically and dermatologically testedStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.

Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner

  • Thickens and strengthens hair against breakage while providing color protectionSupportedLess fade per wash.
  • 8 out of 10 users saw thicker, fuller hair in 30 daysStated 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.

Nioxin Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner draws complaints about dryness and weight.

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 user

Reviewers report the shampoo+conditioner system noticeably encourages hair growth and improved scalp density with continued use.

some reviews collected as part of a manufacturer promotion

Paired 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.

Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner

Some users report visibly thicker-feeling hair and reduced shedding within about a week of starting the System 3 kit, including new fine regrowth along the hairline.

multiple reviewers, several weeks of regular use

Reviewers note the products are concentrated -- only a small, pea-size amount is needed per use, making a bottle last a long time.

general reviewer feedback on value/usage amount

A recurring complaint is a strong, heavy perfume-like scent that lingers, even among reviewers who otherwise like the results.

reviewer using the full system regularly

At least one reviewer reported scalp dryness and increased hair breakage with weekly use, though they noted a confounding pre-existing thyroid condition.

reviewer with a self-reported thyroid condition, weekly use

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 $2.67/oz — Nioxin Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner costs about 1.7× more per ounce than Nioxin Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner.

$0.09/oz median $1.60/oz $56.25/oz $1.57/oz Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thicke $2.67/oz Nioxin System 3 Scalp Ther

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

Value readNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 ConditionerNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner
Label
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for conditioners per ounce.
Upper-mid price for a conditionerSits in the middle of the range for conditioners 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.

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner vs Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 1 ConditionerNioxin · 100% function matchNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner vs Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 1 ConditionerNioxin · 100% function matchNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner vs Defy Damage Protective ConditionerJoico · 100% function matchNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner vs Defy Damage Protective ConditionerJoico · 100% function matchNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner vs Colorful Anti-Fade ConditionerJoico · 100% function matchNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner vs Colorful Anti-Fade ConditionerJoico · 100% function matchNioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner vs Moisture ConditionerKenra · 100% function matchNioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy Conditioner vs Moisture ConditionerKenra · 100% function match

Nioxin Scalp + Hair Thickening System 2 Conditioner · Nioxin System 3 Scalp Therapy 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.
  • 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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