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Side by side

Paul Mitchell Clear Essential Shampoo vs Paul Mitchell Color Protect Shampoo

63% function match · 5 of the 13 functions we compared match Formula overlap 36%. Paul Mitchell Clear Essential Shampoo and Paul Mitchell Color Protect 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.

  • Clear Essential Shampoo — fragrance-free
  • Color Protect Shampoo — fast-oiling scalps

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 Clear Essential Shampoo — 10.14 oz container Paul Mitchell

Clear Essential Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Masstige
  • Sulfate-free
  • Silicone-free
Paul Mitchell Color Protect Shampoo — 33.8 oz container Paul Mitchell

Color Protect Shampoo

  • Shampoo
  • Salon
  • Silicone-free
  • Lightweight
Price, size & price per ounce
$20 10.14 oz · $1.97/oz
$14.47 33.8 oz · $1.22/oz

Compared at different sizes — 33.8 oz against 10.14 oz. Per-ounce prices favour the larger bottle.

Value / price positioning
Upper-mid price for a shampoo $$$$$ Masstige tier · costs more than 61% of the 817 shampoos we’ve priced
Priced with its peers $$$$$ Salon tier · costs less than 58% of the 817 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
None found No humectants found — nothing here pulls water into the hair. Your hair
Moderate Humectants in the working part of the formula. Your hair
Cleansing strength Differs
Moderate Removes oil and product; leaves some conditioning behind. Your hair
Strong Removes oil, buildup, and most residue — a reset wash. Your hair
Slip / detangling Differs
High Conditioning agents sit high in the list — this is a detangling formula. Your hair
Moderate Conditioning agents are present, lower in the list. Your hair
Weight on hair
Medium Middle of the range — noticeable on fine hair, light on coarse hair. Your hair
Light Water-first and light: unlikely to flatten fine hair. Your hair
Fragrance
None listed No fragrance is listed. Your hair
Present Fragrance is listed; it sits below the working ingredients. Your hair
Protein Differs
None No protein or amino acids in the list. Your hair
Minor Protein appears, low enough to be a supporting ingredient. 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
Moderate An ordinary shampoo lather. Your hair
High Thick foam that spreads quickly through the hair. Your hair
Scalp active Same
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
None No over-the-counter scalp active. Your hair
Hard-water defence Differs
None No chelating agent in the list. 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
  • Colour-treated hairthat fades faster in a sulfate wash
  • Protein-sensitive hairthat stiffens when protein is added
  • Maximum slipfor hair that tangles the moment it is wet
  • Fast-oiling scalpsthat need a real reset wash
  • Hard waterand swimmers dealing with mineral deposit
  • Fine hairthat flattens under most products
  • Silicone-free routinesno silicones appear in the list
Why you might skip it
  • Hair that needs proteinthere is none in this list
  • Hard waterno chelator here to bind the minerals
  • Picking it up locallywe have it recorded in one channel only
  • Scents bother youthis product carries a scent
  • Sulfate-free routinesit uses a sulfate detergent
  • Dry or damaged haira strong detergent system strips as it cleans
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
Line
—
Color Protect
Where to buy
Brand website
Salons · Ulta · Brand website
Free of
  • sulfate-free
  • silicone-free
  • fragrance-free
  • protein-free
  • curly-method compatible
  • silicone-free
Vegan
Vegan · label states
—
Cruelty-free
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Cruelty-free · PETA-listed
Scent
—
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

$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

IngredientClear Essential ShampooColor Protect Shampoo
Water
Neutral
#1Leading
#1Leading
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
Cleanses
#3Leading
#5Supporting
Cocamide MIPA
Cleanses
#4Supporting
#4Supporting
Ethylhexylglycerin
Softens
#5Below the 1% line
#15Below the 1% line
Citric Acid
pH balancer
#7Below the 1% line
#22Below the 1% line
Phenoxyethanol
Stabilizes
#8Below the 1% line
#27Below the 1% line

What only one of them carries

Clear Essential Shampoo

Color Protect Shampoo

Full ingredient list — Clear Essential Shampoo (8)
Full ingredient list — Color Protect Shampoo (39)

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.

VerdictsClear Essential ShampooColor Protect Shampoo
Supported
4
0
Partly supported
0
0
Stated by brand
4
1
Potential conflict
0
1

Clear Essential Shampoo

  • Made Without GlutenStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Sulfate FreeSupportedGentler on colour and coils.
  • Color SafeSupportedLess fade per wash.
  • VeganSupportedMatches our researched record.
  • Made With Just 8 Essential IngredientsStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Dermatologist and pediatrician-testedStated by brandOnly the brand’s testing shows this.
  • Recognized by the National Eczema Association with the Seal of Acceptance™Stated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.
  • Fragrance-free and dye-freeSupportedSafer for scent-sensitive scalps.

Color Protect Shampoo

  • Daily shampoo for color-treated hair helps protect hair from sun damage, prevent color fade and boost shinePotential conflictLikely to pull colour faster.
  • Helps extend the life of hair colorStated by brandCan’t be confirmed from label.

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.

Paul Mitchell Clear Essential Shampoo draws complaints about dryness and frizz; Paul Mitchell Color Protect Shampoo draws complaints about residue or cast.

Clear Essential Shampoo

Several reviewers describe the gel-like formula as lathering gently and rinsing to a silky finish that feels like it does not need a separate conditioner.

general reviewers describing texture and rinse-out feel

Reviewers with sensitive scalps, fragrance allergies or skin conditions say the fragrance-free, dye-free formula does not itch or irritate the way other shampoos have.

reviewers with scalp sensitivity or allergies

Some reviewers with wavy or curly hair say it leaves hair dry, frizzy or limp, and suggest it suits straight hair better.

wavy or curly-haired reviewers

A handful of reviewers with oily or fine hair felt it did not lather or cleanse strongly enough, needing multiple washes to feel fully clean.

oily or fine-haired reviewers

Color Protect Shampoo

Praised as effective for color-treated hair and versatile as a clarifying/travel shampoo

color-treated hair users

Reported to work well on red hair color specifically

red-hair-color users

Some reviewers report a greasy or waxy residue despite thorough rinsing

general users

Reviewers who scrutinize ingredients criticize the sulfate content as contrary to the "color protect" claim, reporting faster color fade/brassiness

ingredient-conscious/colored-hair 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.

$1.22/oz vs $1.97/oz — Paul Mitchell Clear Essential Shampoo costs about 1.6× more per ounce than Paul Mitchell Color Protect Shampoo.

$0.00/oz median $1.48/oz $17.29/oz $1.97/oz Clear Essential Shampoo $1.22/oz Color Protect Shampoo

Every mark sits on one distribution because these are compared against the same set: 817 shampoos with a computable unit price.

Value readClear Essential ShampooColor Protect Shampoo
Label
Upper-mid price for a shampooSits in the middle of the range for shampoos per ounce.
Priced with its peersSits in the middle of the range for shampoos 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.

Clear Essential Shampoo vs Clinically Formulated Biotin ShampooPura d'or · 99% function matchColor Protect Shampoo vs Elevate Weightless Volume ShampooRusk · 98% function matchClear Essential Shampoo vs BARE Pure Clean 2in1 Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner, Anti-Dandruff TreatmentHead & Shoulders · 97% function matchColor Protect Shampoo vs Fiber Pre-Styling ShampooAmerican Crew · 95% function matchClear Essential Shampoo vs Native Daily Clean Shampoo - Citrus & Herbal MuskNative · 93% function matchColor Protect Shampoo vs Anti-Dandruff + Dry Scalp ShampooAmerican Crew · 95% function matchClear Essential Shampoo vs Native Daily Clean Shampoo - Santal & LeatherNative · 93% function matchColor Protect Shampoo vs Gentle Clarifying ShampooMixed Chicks · 94% function match

Clear Essential Shampoo · Color Protect 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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