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Side by side

Olaplex N°.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment vs Olaplex Rich Hydration Mask

76% function match · 6 of the 10 functions we compared match Formula overlap 62%. Olaplex N°.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment and Olaplex Rich Hydration Mask 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.

  • N°.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment — protein-sensitive hair
  • Rich Hydration Mask — protein-sensitive 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
Olaplex N°.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment — 3.3 oz container Olaplex

N°.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment

  • Mask / treatment
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Olaplex Rich Hydration Mask — 6.76 oz container Olaplex

Rich Hydration Mask

  • Mask / treatment
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$34 3.3 oz · $10.30/oz
$44–55 6.76 oz · $6.51/oz

Compared at different sizes — 6.76 oz against 3.3 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 93% of the 347 masks and treatments we’ve priced
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 81% of the 347 masks and treatments 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
Time on the hair
Short A short wait — it fits inside an ordinary shower. 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 Differs
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Fragrance
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. 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 Differs
None Nothing here needs a detergent wash to remove. Your hair
High Water-insoluble silicones or waxes: a detergent wash is what removes them. Your hair
Clarifying wash needed
Low Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Oils and butters Differs
Present, lower down Oils are present, but low enough to be a finishing touch. Your hair
Moderate Oils sit high in the list — a softening, coating formula. Your hair
Formula completeness
out of 10
Covers the core
out of 10
Covers the core
Who should choose this
  • 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
  • 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
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Very dry or damaged hairit contains fast-drying alcohol
  • Stretching wash dayswaxes stay until a detergent wash removes them
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
Mask / treatment
Mask / treatment
Where to buy
Brand website · Salons
Brand website · Salons · Grocery / mass …
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
Vegan
Vegan · label states
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · label states
Scent
Scented, not described
Scented, not described
Use stage
Before shampoo
Start on
wet hair
Label wait
3 minutes
Needs
a shampoo and a conditioner
Time on hair
3–3 min
How often
as needed
weekly
Treatment focus
bond repair

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

IngredientN°.3PLUS Complete Repair TreatmentRich Hydration Mask
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cetearyl Alcohol
Softens
#2Leading
#2Leading
Behentrimonium Methosulfate
Detangles
#3Leading
#5Supporting
Bis-Aminopropyl Diglycol Dimaleate
Detangles
#4Supporting
#36Below the 1% line
Propanediol
Moisturizes
#6Supporting
#6Supporting
Glycerin
Moisturizes
#8Supporting
#11Secondary
Isopropyl Alcohol
Drying
#36Below the 1% line
#27Below the 1% line
Fragrance
Fragrance
#49Below the 1% line
#23Below the 1% line
Behentrimonium Chloride
Detangles
#9Secondary
#7Supporting
Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil
Softens
#19Secondary
#8Supporting

What only one of them carries

Full ingredient list — N°.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment (56)
Full ingredient list — Rich Hydration Mask (52)

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.

VerdictsN°.3PLUS Complete Repair TreatmentRich Hydration Mask
Supported
1
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
1
5
Potential conflict
0
0

N°.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment

  • Protein-free and free of SLS/SLES.SupportedFine for protein-sensitive hair.
  • Use every 1–3 washes; may be used daily if desired.Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Rich Hydration Mask

  • 71% reduction in breakage instantlyStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 74% frizz reduction all day, even in high humidityStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 119% more shineStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • 16x hydration instantly (6x after 5 washes on bleached hair)Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Creates shine and all-day, humidity resistant frizz controlStated by brandMay help, but not measurable here.

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.

Both praised for strength and repair. Olaplex Rich Hydration Mask draws complaints about weight.

N°.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment

The quick 3-minute treatment is much more convenient than the original No.3, which had a 10-30 minute wait time that discouraged regular use

comparing to original Olaplex No.3 Hair Perfector

After just one use, hair lengths looked and felt "brand new" with noticeably better results than expected

Reviewer appreciated that no heat is required to activate the formula, unlike other bond treatments

Rich Hydration Mask

Reviewers with curly or coily hair repeatedly report visibly softer, more defined, less frizzy curls and reduced breakage after just one or two uses.

reviewers with 3c-4c curly and coily hair

Reviewers consistently praise the pleasant, non-overpowering scent and the thick, creamy, luxurious texture of the mask.

general reviewers

A recurring complaint is that the mask leaves hair feeling heavy, greasy or coated, especially on fine, oily or straight hair, or when left on longer than the recommended 3-5 minutes.

reviewers with fine, oily or straight hair

Several reviewers who miss the discontinued No.8 mask say this mask feels less effective and doesn't compare to it.

longtime Olaplex No.8 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.

$6.51/oz vs $10.30/oz — Olaplex N°.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment costs about 1.6× more per ounce than Olaplex Rich Hydration Mask.

$0.19/oz median $3.49/oz $24.50/oz $10.30/oz N°.3PLUS Complete Repair T $6.51/oz Rich Hydration Mask

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 347 masks and treatments with a computable unit price.

Value readN°.3PLUS Complete Repair TreatmentRich Hydration Mask
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
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.

N°.3PLUS Complete Repair Treatment · Rich Hydration Mask · All masks and treatments 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.
  • 11 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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