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Side by side

Nioxin Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo vs Nioxin Scalp Relief Shampoo

67% function match · 7 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 20%. Nioxin Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying 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.

  • Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo — flaking scalps
  • 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 Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo — front of package Nioxin

Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Silicone-free
  • Protein-free
Nioxin Scalp Relief Shampoo — front of package Nioxin

Scalp Relief Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$44–63 33.81 oz · $1.62/oz
about $27 6.76 oz · $3.99/oz

Compared at different sizes — 33.81 oz against 6.76 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 52% of the 835 shampoos we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 85% of the 835 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
Low Humectants appear, but low enough to be a minor part. 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
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. 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 Differs
pyrithione zinc, 1% Carries an over-the-counter scalp active, listed under Drug Facts. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Same
None No chelating agent in the list. 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
  • Flaking scalpsthis carries an over-the-counter active
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • 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 strong scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
  • 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
Shampoo
Shampoo
Where to buy
Ulta · Amazon
Brand website · Salons · Amazon
Free of
  • silicone-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
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

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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

IngredientNioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying ShampooScalp Relief Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#6Supporting
#2Leading
Fragrance
Fragrance
#11Below the 1% line
#5Below the 1% line
Sodium Benzoate
Stabilizes
#12Below the 1% line
#7Below the 1% line
Citric Acid
pH balancer
#13Below the 1% line
#8Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo

Scalp Relief Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo (52)
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.

VerdictsNioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying ShampooScalp Relief Shampoo
Supported
1
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
1
Potential conflict
0
0

Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo

  • Combats dandruff from the first useSupportedA recognised active does the work.
  • Gently cleanses your scalp, helps to restore its natural balance and reduces hair fall associated with itchingStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

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.

Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo

The shampoo is described as economical -- reviewers report needing only a small amount per wash, making a bottle last a long time.

general reviewer feedback on value/usage amount

Several reviewers of the Scalp Recovery line describe reduced hair fall and shedding noticeable within one to two weeks of regular shampoo use.

multiple reviewers, 1-2 weeks of use

A recurring complaint across the Scalp Recovery line is a strong, lingering fragrance, which some reviewers find unpleasant even when satisfied with the anti-flake results.

reviewer using the shampoo as part of the routine

One reviewer with a self-reported thyroid condition reported increased scalp dryness and hair breakage on weekly use, a caution against assuming uniform results.

reviewer with a self-reported thyroid condition, weekly use

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.

$1.62/oz vs $3.99/oz — Nioxin Scalp Relief Shampoo costs about 2.5× more per ounce than Nioxin Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.51/oz $17.29/oz $1.62/oz Nioxin Scalp Recovery Puri $3.99/oz Scalp Relief Shampoo

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 835 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readNioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying 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.

Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo vs Volume Injection ShampooRedken · 85% function matchScalp Relief Shampoo vs Pro Pure Curl Define ShampooTRESemme · 96% function matchNioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo vs Kerastase Specifique Bain Divalent ShampooKerastase · 85% function matchScalp Relief Shampoo vs Pro Pure Damage Recovery ShampooTRESemme · 96% function matchNioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo vs Extreme Length ShampooRedken · 83% function matchScalp Relief Shampoo vs Black Vanilla Moisture & Shine Sulfate Free ShampooCarol's Daughter · 96% function matchNioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying Shampoo vs Elvive Collagen Peptide + Lifter Volumizing Shampoo for Thin, Flat HairL'Oreal Paris Elvive · 83% function matchScalp Relief Shampoo vs Gentle Lather Shampoo, Citrus LavenderJessicurl · 96% function match

Nioxin Scalp Recovery Purifying 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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