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Side by side

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray vs Paul Mitchell Clear Smoothing Serum

72% function match · 7 of the 12 functions we compared match Formula overlap 0%. Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray and Paul Mitchell Clear Smoothing Serum share no ingredient among each other's most prominent — which does not stop them doing the same job.

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.

  • Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray — protein-hungry hair
  • Clear Smoothing Serum — 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
Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray — 3.3 oz container Paul Mitchell

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray

  • Finisher
  • Salon
  • Sulfate-free
  • Lightweight
Paul Mitchell Clear Smoothing Serum — container Paul Mitchell

Clear Smoothing Serum

  • Finisher
  • Drugstore
  • Sulfate-free
  • Fragrance-free
Price, size & price per ounce
$89.95 3.3 oz · $27.26/oz
$12 0.85 oz · $14.12/oz

Compared at different sizes — 3.3 oz against 0.85 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Same job for less elsewhere $$$$$ Salon tier · costs more than 98% of the 65 shine sprays we’ve priced
Upper-mid price for a serum $$$$$ Drugstore tier · costs more than 72% of the 79 serums 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
None found No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair. Your hair
Shine system Same
High A silicone or oil blend does the shine work here. Your hair
High A silicone or oil blend does the shine work here. Your hair
Slip / detangling
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. Your hair
Some Some slip, mostly from esters or silicones rather than conditioners. 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
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
Protein Differs
Prominent Protein high in the list — a strengthening formula, not a moisture one. Your hair
None No protein or amino acids in the list. 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
Moderate Your hair
Moderate Your hair
Oils and butters Same
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
None No oils or butters in the list. Your hair
Fast-drying alcohol Differs
High in the list Fast-drying alcohol in the first three ingredients. Your hair
None No fast-drying alcohol 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
  • Protein-hungry hairthat stretches and stays stretched when wet
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Dull-looking haira recognised shine system is present
  • Fragrance-freeno fragrance (parfum) on the label
  • Unscentedfree of strong smells
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Dull-looking haira recognised shine system is present
Why you might skip it
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat goes stiff or straw-like on protein
  • Curly-method routinesthese silicones need a detergent to remove
  • If scent matters to younothing is added here
  • Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only
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
Finisheraerosol
Finisherserum
Where to buy
Paul Mitchell · Ulta
Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • sulfate-free
  • fragrance-free
  • protein-free
Vegan
—
Vegan · label states
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
Scented, not described
Unscented
Finish
shine
—
How often
as needed
—

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 only one of them carries

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray

Clear Smoothing Serum

Full ingredient list — Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray (27)
Full ingredient list — Clear Smoothing Serum (3)

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.

VerdictsAwapuhi Wild Ginger Shine SprayClear Smoothing Serum
Supported
2
0
Partly supported
1
0
Stated by brand
1
0
Potential conflict
0
0

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray

  • reflective shineSupportedReflects light for visible shine.
  • smooth healthy-looking finishSupportedSmoother strands, less frizz.
  • balances moisture with awapuhi extractPartly supportedSome hydration, at a low level.
  • heat-styling supportStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

Clear Smoothing Serum

No claims recorded for this product beyond the ones above.

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 Wild Ginger Shine Spray

A verified customer says a light spray on air-dried curls gives the right shine without residue or tackiness.

A recurring user says it can be used daily between washes, adds gloss, and does not weigh hair down.

An extremely fine-haired reviewer says the initial shine can look excessive but dries into healthy-looking shine with a conditioning feel and only a hint of hold.

One customer likes the finished look but says concern about breathing the aerosol mist prevents repurchase.

Clear Smoothing Serum

The lightweight fragrance-free formula is particularly valued by customers with scalp sensitivities and fragrance allergies.

Some reviewers find the product too drying and report increased frizz or dryness with regular use.

Users consistently report that a minimal amount smooths frizz and delivers shine without leaving greasiness.

The serum provides noticeable silky texture and polished appearance while feeling weightless on the hair.

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.

$14.12/oz vs $27.26/oz — Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray costs about 1.9× more per ounce than Paul Mitchell Clear Smoothing Serum.

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray

Against 65 shine sprays with a computable unit price.

Clear Smoothing Serum

Against 79 serums with a computable unit price.

Value readAwapuhi Wild Ginger Shine SprayClear Smoothing Serum
Label
Same job for less elsewhereYou are paying above the range for a formula close to several lower-priced options.
Upper-mid price for a serumSits in the middle of the range for serums 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.

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray vs Seal The Deal Split End Mender LotionSexy Hair · 95% function matchClear Smoothing Serum vs Clear Smoothing Serum (Blowout Primer)Paul Mitchell · 100% function matchAwapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray vs Mekabu Hydrating Shine SerumMasami · 94% function matchClear Smoothing Serum vs Platinum Silkening GlossKenra Professional · 100% function matchAwapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray vs Color Charge Spray SerumKenra Platinum · 90% function matchClear Smoothing Serum vs Super Skinny SerumPaul Mitchell · 99% function matchAwapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray vs Deepshine PlatinumX Shine SprayRusk · 89% function matchClear Smoothing Serum vs Mekabu Hydrating Shine SerumMasami · 99% function match

Awapuhi Wild Ginger Shine Spray · Clear Smoothing Serum · All shine sprays 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.
  • 6 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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