Side by side
Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shampoo vs Paul Mitchell Super Smooth Shampoo
56% function match · 7 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 63%. Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shampoo and Paul Mitchell Super Smooth Shampoo share 4 ingredients among each other's most prominent.
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.
- Awapuhi Shampoo — protein-sensitive hair
- Super Smooth 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”.
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
- Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
- Fine hairthat flattens under most products
- Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
- Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
- Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
- Curly-method routinesno sulfates and no water-insoluble silicones
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
- Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
- Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
- Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
- Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
More facts about each one
- protein-free
- sulfate-free
- silicone-free
- protein-free
- curly-method compatible
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.
$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
What only one of them carries
Awapuhi Shampoo
Super Smooth Shampoo
Full ingredient list — Awapuhi Shampoo (24)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
- olefin sulfonate cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
- sulfate cleanser
- cleanser
-
4
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
5
Cocamide MIPA
- secondary cleanser
- nonionic cleanser
- thickener
-
6
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
7
Hedychium Coronarium Root Extract
- botanical extract
-
8
Bisamino PEG/PPG-41/3 Aminoethyl PG-Propyl Dimethicone
- silicone
- conditioning agent
-
9
PEG-12 Dimethicone
- emollient
- silicone
- water-soluble silicone
-
10
Peg-14m
- emulsifier
-
11
Glycol Stearate
- opacifier
- emollient
-
12
Silica
- powder
- thickener
- mineral
-
13
Magnesium Nitrate
- salt
-
14
Magnesium Chloride
- salt
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
15
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
16
Tetrasodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
17
Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
-
18
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
19
BHT
- antioxidant
-
20
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
21
Methylchloroisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
22
Methylisothiazolinone
- isothiazolinone
- preservative
-
23
Benzyl Benzoate
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
-
24
Limonene
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
Full ingredient list — Super Smooth Shampoo (21)
-
1
Water
- solvent
-
2
Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate
- olefin sulfonate cleanser
- cleanser
-
3
Cocamide MIPA
- secondary cleanser
- nonionic cleanser
- thickener
-
4
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
- amphoteric cleanser
- secondary cleanser
- cleanser
-
5
Oleth-10
- emulsifier
- solubilizer
-
6
Glycerin
- humectant
-
7
Sodium Chloride
- salt
- thickener
-
8
PEG-120 Methyl Glucose Dioleate
- thickener
- emulsifier
-
9
Ethylhexyl Olivate
- light ester
- emollient
-
10
Squalane
- emollient
- conditioning agent
-
11
Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
- mild anionic cleanser
- cleanser
-
12
Polyquaternium-10
- conditioning agent
- film former
- polymer
- Below about this point, order stops being meaningful — these are typically used at 1% or less.
-
13
Tocopherol
- antioxidant
- vitamin
-
14
Ethylhexylglycerin
- preservative
- emollient
-
15
Tetrasodium EDTA
- hard-water chelator
-
16
Sodium Hydroxide
- pH adjuster
-
17
Citric Acid
- pH adjuster
- hard-water chelator
-
18
Phenoxyethanol
- preservative
-
19
Fragrance
- fragrance
- declared fragrance
-
20
Hexamethylindanopyran
- fragrance
-
21
Hexyl Cinnamal
- fragrance
- named fragrance allergen
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.
Awapuhi Shampoo
#1 Best-Selling Paul Mitchell shampoo (2024 sales data)
Stated by brandPopularity, not performance.Color-safe cleanser ideal for all hair types
Potential conflictLikely to pull colour faster.
Super Smooth Shampoo
Up To 86% Smoother Hair (with shampoo + conditioner, third-party testing)
Stated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.Daily sulfate-free (without SLS, SLES, ALS) shampoo cleanses and smooths hair
SupportedGentler on colour and coils.Perfect prep for a smooth blowout
SupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
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.
Awapuhi Shampoo
Long-time repeat buyers, some using it for 20+ years, describe it as a reliable staple
long-term/loyal usersReviewers with long, wavy/curly hair say it leaves hair feeling clean and nourished without excessive static
long wavy/curly hairPraised for pleasant, distinctive fragrance and good lather/cleansing performance
Super Smooth Shampoo
Reviewers with curly or thick, coarse hair report noticeably softer, more manageable, frizz-reduced results
curly and thick/coarse-hair usersSome reviewers with sensitive or easily-irritated scalps say the current formula feels calming rather than irritating
sensitive-scalp usersA protein-sensitive reviewer with low-porosity coily hair reports the formula does not cause the breakage they get from protein-heavy products
low-porosity/protein-sensitive coily hairA reformulation is noted by long-time users, with mixed reactions including a report of an eczema flare-up after switching to the current formula
long-time users noticing a recent reformulationPrice 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.
$1.78/oz vs $3.35/oz — Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Shampoo costs about 1.9× more per ounce than Paul Mitchell Super Smooth Shampoo.
Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.
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.
Awapuhi Shampoo · Super Smooth 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.
- 9 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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